MORiAL  Sketches. 
Rev.  Geo.  B.  Atwell 


r EARLS   FOR   THE    rOOR. 


NOV  14  1917 


BX  6495 

.A78  1880 

Memorial 

sketches 

of 

Rev. 

George 

B.  Atwell 

NOETH  FAMILY 

LIBRARY, 

Shaker  Station, 

t,      _^  CONN. 


s  i.irjjvJ^»^j//e€hc/C. 


Aged  85    Years. 


MEMORIAL  SKETCHES 


NOV  1 4  1917 


Rev,  George  B,  Atwell. 


For  memory  is  immortal.' 


HARTFORD,  CONN.: 
Press  of  The  Case,  Lockwood  &  Brainard  Company. 


Copyright,    1880 


TO   THE    PERSONAL   FRIENDS 

of  him  who 

"Being  Dead,  yet  Speaketh" 

through  memories  of  a  life  in  which 

(^hai^ity    and   '£->oue 

Were    Made   a   Living   Reality, 

THIS    VOLUME 

IS  respectfully  and  affectionately 

DEDICATED. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Ancestry, 

Influence, 

Development, 

Seed-time, 

Harvest, 

Incidents, 

Tributes, 

Pleasant  Valley,    . 

Utterances,     . 


CHAPTER  II. 


CHAPTER  III. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


CHAPTER  V. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


17 


27 


37 


45 


53 


59 


69 


83 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Pporls 

.      89 

JT  Cell  iSj      • 

CHAPTER  XL 

• 

Separation,     . 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

129 

Autumn, 

CHAPTER  Xni. 

•     135 

Fraternity, 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

.     161 

Indian  Summer, 

CHAPTER  XV. 

.        .     167 

Burial,    . 

.        .     183 

MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    I. 

ANCESTRY. 

In  the  days  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  there 
lived  in  New  London  county,  Conn.,  a  farmer  whose 
name  was  Benjamin  Atwell,  and  whose  wife  was  the 
daughter  of  one  Col.  Lee.  They  were  grandparents  of 
George  Benjamin  Atwell,  the  subject  of  these  sketches. 
In  religious  faith  they  were  rigid  Presbyterians,  and 
their  history  shows  that  they  were  brave  and  loyal 
citizens. 

Benjamin  Atwell  was  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
and  was,  for  a  time,  one  of  Washington's  life  guard.  At 
the  burning  of  New  London  by  Benedict  Arnold  in 
1 78 1,  he  became  aware  of  the  intended  attack,  and  was 
another  "  Paul  Revere,"  riding  through  the  night  and 
stopping  at  each  house  with  endeavor  to  alarm  and 
rouse  the  people.  His  wife  was  a  royal  woman,  tender 
and  gentle-hearted,  yet  remarkable  for  her  fortitude  and 
courage.  Many  stories  are  told  of  her  to  illustrate  this, 
one  of  which  will  suffice  for  our  purpose. 


8  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

During  her  husband's  absence  in  the  army,  the  fam- 
ily, in  common  with  the  people  in  the  neighborhood, 
were  living  in  constant  fear  of  the  Hessians,  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  making  raids  into  the  surrounding 
country,  burning  and  plundering  without  restraint  or 
scruple.  In  course  of  time,  provisions  were  needed  for 
family  use,  and  the  only  way  to  get  them  was  to  go 
herself.  She  saddled  her  horse,  rode  fifteen  miles  and 
obtained  the  needed  supplies,  but  was  told  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  her  to  return  in  safety,  for  the  Hes- 
sians were  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Her  anxiety 
about  her  family  at  home  was  extreme  ;  stay  she  could 
not,  go  she  must.  She  waited  till  night-fall,  and  chose 
a  longer  and  less  frequented  road,  which  would  take  her 
across  a  river,  and  through  a  dense  forest  known  as 
"Witch  Woods" — a  dark  and  fearful  place.  It  was 
dark  when  she  reached  the  river,  a  storm  was  gather- 
ing, and  the  bridge  was  gone  !  Her  horse  was  heavily 
laden,  yet  she  urged  him  on.  He  plunged  in,  swam 
across,  and  landed  his  burdens  safely  on  the  opposite 
bank.  In  the  depths  of  Witch  Woods  she  was  over- 
taken by  a  violent  thunder-storm,  and  only  found  her 
way  out  by  the  flashes  of  lightning.  She  reached  home 
at  last,  and  was  grateful  and  overjoyed  to  find  her  family 
safe.  After  caring  for  her  faithful  horse,  she  bolted 
doors  and  windows,  gathered  her  children  about  her, 
prayed  with  them,  and  after  putting  them  to  bed,  she 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  9 

prepared  to  watch  through  the  night  and  meet  as  best 
she  could  whatever  trouble  might  come.  Towards 
morning,  a  solitary  and  forlorn-looking  man  approached 
the  house  and  called  for  admittance.  Convinced  that 
he  was  not  an  enemy,  but  probably  an  American  soldier, 
she  opened  the  door.  He  asked  for  food,  and  his  voice 
startled  her,  but  it  was  difficult  for  her  to  believe  that 
it  was  indeed  her  husband,  he  was  so  changed  by  the 
hardships  of  war.  Then  the  fortitude  which  had  sus- 
tained her  through  the  perils  of  the  day  utterly  forsook 
her,  and  she  could  do  nothing  but  weep. 

The  hopes  of  this  father  and  mother  were  centered 
in  their  son  George,  who  at  the  age  of  eighteen  was  a 
promising  young  man,  with  more  than  the  common 
education  of  those  times.  He  had  been  very  strictly 
reared  in  the  religious  faith  of  his  parents,  and  was 
considered  a  member  of  the*  "  standing  order,"  whose 
creed  ignored  special  religious  experiences.  He  be- 
came, however,  a  very  gay  young  gentleman, — a  con- 
sequence, perhaps,  of  his  rigid  early  training.  But  the 
reaction  spent  itself,  and  the  seed  sown  in  childhood 
was  not  lost.  It  sprang  up  and  bore  fruit  an  hundred 
fold,  although  in  quite  a  different  way  from  what  was 
expected. 

During  a  period  of  school-teaching,  he  was  brought 
under  the  preaching  of  Elder  Zadok  Darrow,  the  Baptist 
preacher  of  New  London.    Deep  conviction  seized  upon 


lO  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

him,  followed  by  bright  evidence  and  assurance  of  heir- 
ship. New  hght  and  life  fired  him  with  zeal.  He 
embraced  the  views  of  the  denomination,  and  we  find 
him  in  middle  life  a  Baptist  clergyman,  ordained  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  times  as  an  evangelist,  and 
doing  duty  as  a  pioneer,  fighting  the  battles  against  the 
spirit  of  intoleration  that  still  lingered  and  lived  in 
Connecticut.  At  that  time  no  Baptist  could  hold  an 
office  of  state,  and  Baptist  clergymen  were  by  law  dis- 
qualified to  officiate  at  a  marriage  ceremony.  No 
judge,  sheriff,  nor  even  a  justice  of  the  peace  could  be 
found  throughout  the  denomination,  and  they  were 
completely  in  the  power  of  their  oppressors.  Mr. 
Atwell,  fearless  in  behalf  of  the  right,  dared  to  unite  in 
marriage  two  members  of  his  own  society.  He  was 
prosecuted,  tried,  convicted,  and  suffered  the  penalties 
of  the  law.  He  was  also  persecuted  in  many  and  vari- 
ous ways  for  his  courage  and  earnestness  in  his  evan- 
gelical labors,  whereby  he  helped  to  open  a  way  for  the 
recognition  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  denomina- 
tion. That  blessed  time,  however,  he  was  destined 
not  to  see  with  earthly  eyes,  for  it  was  not  until  after 
his  death  that  perfect  religious  liberty  was  constitution- 
ally established  in  Connecticut. 

In  consequence  of  carrying  out  his  convictions  of 
duty,  regardless  of  obstacles,  his  temporal  affairs  be- 
came deeply  involved,  and  this  state  of  things,  in  those 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  n 

days  of  stringent  laws,  wielded  as  they  were  by  the 
hands  of  enemies,  brought  upon  himself  and  his  family 
a  train  of  distresses  that  even  at  this  distant  day  are 
painful  to  dwell  upon.  Still  he  labored  with  varied  yet 
marked  success.  There  was  no  half-way  work  about 
the  man,  and  nothing  could  come  between  him  and  his 
chosen  work  of  planting  of  churches  and  saving  of  souls. 
He  is  reputed  to  have  been  a  powerful  and  successful 
preacher,  and  his  diary,  parts  of  which  have  been  pre- 
served, tells  the  story  of  continued  and  arduous  labor. 
He  was  intimate  with  Elder  John  Leland.  and  no  doubt 
imbibed  some  of  his  spirit  and  zeal.  He  was  often  a 
great  physical  sufferer,  and  has  been  known  to  be  lifted 
above  all  knowledge  of  his  pain  by  mere  excitement  of 
feeling.  Once,  on  the  occasion  of  a  prayer-meeting  at 
his  house,  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  painful 
illness.  He  Hstened  to  the  praying  and  singing  until 
he  could  contain  himself  no  longer,  when  he  arose  from 
his  bed,  appeared  among  them,  and  prayed  with  an 
unction  that  was  not  soon  forgotten. 

These  meetings  were  a  power  in  the  community, 
sonletimes  earnest  and  solemn,  and  at  others  a  very 
jubilee  of  praise.  They  were  frequented  by  the  older 
persons  of  the  neighborhood,  and  many  of  the  hymns 
sung  had  been  handed  down  from  a  former  generation, 
and  were  outbreathings  of  the  religious  spirit  of  nozv 
nearly  two  centuries  ago.    With  healing  and  consolation 


12  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

upon  their  wings,  they  seem  to  have  borne  the  sorrows 
and  aspirations  of  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  Chris- 
tians of  the  early  time. 

Among  our  childhood  recollections  of  our  father  is 
the  singing  of  some  of  these  quaint  old  lyrics  that  his 
remarkable  memory  retained  from  his  earliest  remem- 
brance. He  learned  them  a  four-year-old  boy,  being 
put  to  bed  in  an  adjoining  room,  where  he  could  listen 
to  and  take  in  all  the  exercises  of  these  notable  evening 
gatherings.  One  ancient  carol,  in  particular,  remains 
in  sacred  memory,  for  sitting  upon  "  father's  knee," 
many  a  twilight  hour  has  been  whiled  away  under  its 
inspiration.  To  the  ordinary  reader  it  presents  neither 
rhyme  nor  rhythm,  but  the  old-fashioned  singing  lent 
it  wings  and  music.  With  each  succeeding  stanza,  it 
gathers  to  itself  force  and  expression,  until  one  refrain 
seems  to  roll  in  upon  another  to  be  borne  aloft  upon 
the  rapture  of  the  closing  chorus.  The  following  is  a 
specimen : 

On  a  feast  day  of  ancient  time, 

Jesus  stood  and  cri-ed, 

If  any — any — any  man  thirst, 

Let  them  come  to  me  and  drink, 

And  save  their  souls  from  dying! 

For  nothing — nothing — nothing  else  surely  can 

Quench  the  immortal  thirst 

That  in  your  hearts  are  glowing  ! 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  13 

Come  and  taste  the  streams  of  love 
That  are  so  freely  flowing-, 
Saying,  Drink,  my  love,  my  only  dove, 
For  you  'tis  freely  flowing. 

And  happy — happy — happy  be, 

And  happy — happy — happy  be  ! 

It  was  in  such  an  atmosphere  of  prayer  and  praise, 
over  an  undercurrent  of  deep  trouble  and  anxiety,  that 
George  B.  Atwell  was  reared,  and  the  influence  that 
these  uplifting  old  hymns,  sung  as  they  were,  with  "the 
spirit  and  the  understanding,"  may  have  had  upon  the 
nature  of  the  boy,  whose  memory  was  thus  stored  with 
them,  can  hardly  be  estimated. 

His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Esther  Rogers.  She 
was  a  sister  of  Elder  Peter  Rogers,  and  was  the  youngest 
of  six  children.  The  family  line,  by  means  of  valuable 
records,  (now  most  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire.) 
is  traced  back  directly  to  John  Rogers,  who  was 
burned  at  the  stake  in  Smithfield,  England.  Several 
sons  of  the  martyr,  to  escape  the  persecutions  that 
awaited  them  and  the  possible  fate  of  their  father,  emi- 
grated to  America  and  made  themselves  homes  in  the 
Southern  States.  One  afterwards  removed  to  New 
England  and  settled  in  New  London,  Conn.,  and  from 
him  the  family  directly  descended. 

The  "  Rogers  grit,"  as  it  is  familiarly  called,  seems 
to  have  been  transmitted  without  alloy  through  seven 


14  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

generations  to  Elder  Peter  Rogers,  whose  name  is 
found  in  Baptist  annals  as  minister  and  soldier.  Seven 
years'  actual  service  in  the  Revolutionary  war  brought 
him  high  distinction.  He  first  distinguished  himself 
as  captain  of  a  vessel,  and  his  achievements  as  a  priva- 
teersman  won  appreciation  from  General  Washington, 
who  rewarded  him  with  a  place  in  his  body  guard.  His 
personal  reminiscences  show  the  tremendous  physical 
endurance  of  the  man.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  Monmouth,  and  history  records  the  intense  heat  of- 
that  terrible  day.  While  his  comrades  were  falling 
dead  around  him  from  heat  and  fatigue,  he  says  of  him- 
self, "  I  literally  melted  ;  tJie  fat  in  my  system  melted 
and  arose  in  great  spoonfuls  in  my  month,  yet  I  stood 
my  ground"!  and  at  Valley  Forge.  "At  every  step  my 
bare  and  bleeding  feet  left  blood-prints  on  the  snow. 
I» became  severely  ill  with  small-pox;  the  hospital 
was  crowded  with  sick  soldiers,  and  the  sufifering  was 
beyond  description ;  but  there  was  not  a  time  during 
my  sickness  when,  if  it  had  been  necessary,  I  would  not 
have  seized  my  gun  and  stood  at  my  post." 

His  patriotic  service  made  him  a  man  of  mark  to  the 
end  of  his  days,  but  his  life-work  did  not  close  with  the 
war.  Among  the  first  Baptist  ecclesiastical  gatherings 
in  the  town  of  Norwich  were  councils  for  the  purpose 
of  ordaining  "  Bro.  Peter  Rogers  as  Elder"  over  the 
newly  organized    Bozrah  church.      His  battle-scarred 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  15 

appearance  and  soldierly  bearing  made  some  of  the 
brethren  fear  that  he  had  mistaken  his  calling  ;  but  his 
life  and  labors  proved  him  to  have  been  "  divinely 
called,"  and  fully  justified  his  ordination  as  a  minister. 
He  was  the  first  Baptist  clergyman  ordained  in  the 
town  of  Norwich,  and  the  Bozrah  church  prospered 
under  his  ministry.  His  preaching  is  described  *  as 
"solid  and  instructive,  and  as  leaving  the  impression  of 
the  speaker's  sincerity  and  plainness  rather  than"  bril- 
liancy." He  was  afterward  pastor  in  Hampton,  Kil- 
lingly,  and  lastly  of  the  old  Leicester  church  in  the 
Sturbridge  Association.  He  died  in  Waterloo,  Illinois, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-nine  years  and  nine' 
months. 

*  Dcnison's  Historical  Notes. 


CHAPTER    II. 

INFLUENCES. 

Esther  Rogers  was  an  intellectual  woman,  gifted 
in  prayer  and  conversation  and  endowed  with  literary 
tastes.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Atwell  in  1788,  and 
proved  an  efficient  aid  to  him  in  his  ministerial  work. 
Their  family  consisted  of  nine  children,  of  whom  George 
Benjamin,  their  eldest  son,  was  third  in  number.  He 
was  born  July  9,  1793.  In  a  fragment  of  his  father's 
diary  we  find  the  following  mention  of  him  :  "  Dec, 
1793.  A  mixed  and  bitter  cup — a  day  of  trial  and 
trouble  to  our  souls.  Expected  to  be  committed  to 
prison  for  debt,  and  in  the  midst  of  my  expectation  our 
infant  son,  sitting  in  the  cradle  by  the  fire,  fell  back- 
ward into  the  dev^ouring  element.  The  physician  gives 
his  opinion  that  the  child  cannot  continue  long."  He 
was  considered  so  near  unto  death  that  the  little  grave 
clothes  were  made  ready,  but  he  was  spared  for  a  long 
life  of  good  words  and  works.  He  always  carried  the 
mark  of  the  accident,  and  suffered  more  or  less  from 
its  results.  Again  the  diary  makes  record  :  "  Saturday, 
Feb.  12,  1803.  Covenant  meeting  this  day,  and  such 
a  season  the  oldest  member  of  this  church  (Saybrook) 
3 


1 8  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

never  saw  before.  Two  joined  us  this  day ;  one  of  them 
was  my  own  son,  not  ten  years  old,  and  my  mind  labored 
to  exercise  right  motives."  Then  comes  a  few  words 
by  his  mother's  hand,  as  follows  :  "  During  his  father's 
absence,  George  urged  me  to  allow  him  to  conduct 
family  worship.  I  did  so,  and  he  prayed  like  a  little 
angel.     How  it  would  have  charmed  his  father !" 

He  'inherited  his  father's  impulsive  temperament, 
ready  sympathies,  and  magnetic  presence,  and  his 
mother's  martyr  blood  and  martyr  faith,  ability  and 
disposition  for  endurance  of  suffering  or  hardship  with- 
out flinching  or  complaint.  He  was  his  mother's  com- 
forter during  the  distressful  times  of  prosecution  and 
persecution,  and  then,  no  doubt,  began  the  development 
of  the  characteristics  that  so  individualized  his  whole 
after  life.  His  delicate  regard  for  another's  feelings 
sometimes  amounted  to  weakness,  but  it  made  him  one 
of  the  rarest  of  comforters,  and  his  very  presence  like 
a  sustaining  power. 

The  little  that  can  be  gathered  from  his  boyhood 
indicates  the  developing  of  an  active  and  independent 
mind.  When  about  eleven  years  old,  for  obvious 
reasons,  he  left  his  father's  house  to  live  in  the  family 
of  a  good  old  deacon  in  Saybrook.  We  hear  of  him 
from  time  to  time  as  a  barefoot  boy,  driving  the  cows 
to  pasture,  and  stopping  at  a  flat  rock,  with  a  stone  for 
a  pencil,  to  work   out  some  mystery  of  old   Daboll ; 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  19 

setting  traps  for  squirrels  and  woodchucks  ;  gathering 
goose-quills  for  the  "  schoolmaster"  to  shape  into  pens ; 
trudging  to  school  over  the  snow-drifts  in  new,  stiff" 
shoes,  homespun  jacket,  and  squirrel-skin  cap,  but 
never  an  overcoat,  and  never  knowing  that  he  needed 
it,  and  studying  Guthrie's  Geography,  in  which  mer- 
maids are  treated  as  living  realities,  and  New  York 
bounded  "west  by  unknown  lands"!  In  school  he  was 
conspicuous  for  scholarship,  attracting  the  attention  of 
the  "  inspectors,"  and  called  upon  to  read  for  their  en- 
tertainment whenever  they  made  their  lawful  visits,  and 
receiving  their  praise  for  his  "  remarkably  plain  hand- 
writing." Sometimes  the  "master"  p^id  him  special 
honor  by  requesting  him  to  "set  the  copies"  in  the 
writing-books  of  other  pupils,  and  he  never  quite  lost  a 
certain  boyish  pride  in  the  fair,  round  penmanship  that 
he  retained  to  the  last. 

Underneath  this  boy-life  was  another  life,  which  was 
a  turmoil  of  mental  doubts  and  questionings.  The 
words  of  the  Bible  were  to  him  wonderful  realities, — 
great,  transcendent  facts  that  his  poor  little  life  must 
ever  fail  to  reach,  and  the  superstitions  that  were  inter- 
mingled with  the  piety  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
thrown  in  contact,  were  to  him  a  source  of  perplexity 
and  trial.  Often,  sitting  of  a  winter's  evening  in  a 
recess  of  the  huge  old  fireplace,  where,  if  he  chose,  he 
could  look  up  the  chimney  and  watch  the  stars,  he 


20  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

would  listen  to  the  conversation  of  neighbors  and 
friends  who  might  chance  to  drop  in.  The  talk  often 
turned  upon  religious  matters,  for  those  were  the  days 
that  tried  men's  soiils,  and  religion  was  a  vital  point  in 
practical  every-day  life.  Sometimes  the  wide-awake, 
listening  boy  in  the  chimney-corner  would  venture  a 
question  or  two,  like  a  lightning  flash,  directly  into  some 
little  mist  of  superstition,  to  be  met  with  looks  of 
astonishment  and  the  remark,  "  What  a  boy !  Why  do 
you  ask  such  strange  questions.^"  Thus  thrust  back 
upon  himself,  homesick  and  longing  for  the  loving  pa- 
rents who  might  more  wisely  guide  him,  he  pondered 
these  things  in  his  heart,  and,  without  complaint,  went 
bravely  on  his  way. 

We  hear  of  him  as  a  young  man,  ardent,  impulsive, 
and  quick-tempered  ;  straight  as  an  arrow,  lithe  and 
athletic,  popular  among  his  young  friends,  fastidious  as 
to  his  dress,  and,  in  short,  like  his  father  before  him, 
somewhat  of  a  gay  young  gentleman.  The  delicate 
side  of  his  nature,  however,  was  in  the  habit  of  assert- 
ing itself ;  he  liked  to  pay  special  attention  to  aged 
people,  and  although  himself  naturally  shy  and  sensi- 
tive to  the  last  degree,  he  made  himself  the  defender  of 
bashful  boys,  and  at  the  apple-parings  and  quilting- 
frolics  any  neglected  maiden  might  expect  to  find  in 
him  a  devoted  champion.  He  was  happily  free  from 
unfortunate  habits,  and  one  of  the  satisfactions  of  his 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  21 

old  age  was  the  looking  back  upon  a  clear  physical 
record.  He  often  said  of  himself,  "  I  never  got  drunk 
in  my  life,  never  swore  in  my  life,  never  played  cards 
in  my  life,  never  used  tobacco  in  my  life ; "  and  the 
good  old  Saybrook  deacon,  a  man  of  few  words,  said 
to  him,  once  for  all,  "  You  was  always  a  good  boy, 
George ! " 

In  the  meantime  his  father  had  become  the  settled 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Enfield.  His  pastorate  there 
was  somewhat  eventful  in  the  history  of  Longmeadow, 
Mass.,  as  it  was  a  direct  result  of  his  labors  that  the 
Baptist  church  in  that  town  came  into  existence.  The 
closing  pages  of  his  diary  record  daily  visiting  and 
praying  with  the  sick  and  attending  funerals  until 
Wednesday  evening,  March  30th,  when  he  preached 
his  last  sermon  at  the  house  of  Isaiah  Allen  of  Enfield. 
It  was  said  of  him  that  "  he  had  uncommon  assistance 
in  speaking,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  his  Lord  and 
Master  helped  him  close  his  ministry  with  power." 
He  died  on  Sunday,  April  10,  1814,  of  a  "prevailing 
fever,"  and  eight  days  later  his  wife  followed  him  from 
the  same  disease. 

These  events  wrought  a  revolution  in  the  life  of  their 
eldest  son.  It  was  his  first  great  sorrow,  and  in  his 
loneliness  and  distress  he  sought  to  lay  his  burden  upon 
his  Heavenly  Father,  who  alone  could  help.  He  seemed 
to  receive  an  immediate  answer  to  prayer,  and  it  was 


22  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OE 

on  this  wise  :  "  Yo7i  must  preach  and  take  your  father  s 
place."  This  was  to  him  so  direct  and  so  vivid  that 
he  involuntarily  spoke  aloud,  as  if  face  to  face  with  a 
friend,  "  How  can  I  preach  with  my  insufficient  edu- 
cation ? " 

He  could  not  rid  himself  of  the  impression  ;  it  fol- 
lowed and  clung  to  him.  He  strove  to  quiet  his  con- 
science by  taking  part  in  prayer  and  conference  meet- 
ings, and  even  by  writing  exhortations  and  placing  them 
where  they  would  be  found  and  read,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail.  The  command  was  upon  him,  "  You  must  preach 
and  take  your  father  s  place" 

About  this  time  he  was  providentially  led  into  oppor- 
tunities for  study,  a  period  to  which  he  often  referred 
as  one  of  the  happiest  of  his  life.  He  found  a  con- 
genial and  intimate  friend  in  Alanson  Abbe,  a  young 
man  who  in  after  years  became  well  known  as  a  suc- 
cessful Boston  physician.  He  had  a  decided  taste  for 
medical  study,  and  so  strongly  desired  to  join  his  friend 
in  that  direction  that  the  two  young  men  began  a 
course  of  reading  together.  They  were  studying  one 
night  quite  late,  when  he  threw  down  his  books  with 
the  exclamation,  "  Alanson,  this  is  nonsense !  God 
never  designed  such  deadly  poisons  to  go  into  the  hu- 
man stomach !" 

An  animated  discussion  followed,  which  lasted  until 
the   "  small  hours,"    and    in    which    he  brought  out  a 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  23 

theory  of  his  own,  that  the  mind  could  and  should  be 
made  to  act  as  a  healing  and  curative  power  upon  the 
body. 

"  How  ?"  said  his  friend  ;  "tell  me  how  !" 

"The  brain  controls  the  body,  don't  it?"  was  the 
reply.  "  I  tell  you,  there  is  something  there  that  ought 
to  control  disease  /" 

It  was  impossible  for  his  mind  to  move  in  a  beaten 
track  ;  strike  out  it  must  and  find  an  orbit  of  its  own, 
and  as  a  consequence,  there  came  in  the  course  of  their 
reading  other  sharp  discussions,  in  which  he  elaborated 
his  original  theories,  while  his  friend  vigorously  de- 
fended the  authors. 

Circumstances  afterward  threw  the  two  friends  wide 
apart  for  years,  but  in  the  prime  of  their  manhood  they 
met  once  more,  at  the  Baptist  parsonage  in  Canton, 
Conn. 

Said  Dr.  Abbe,  "  George,  you  should  have  been  a 
physician.  It  has  been  absolutely  surprising  to  me  how 
much  of  my  success  is  due  to  the  ideas  that  I  got  from 
you  when  we  were  young  men  together ;  in  fact,  I  owe 
all  my  celebrity  to  you  ! " 

It  may  be  worthy  of  note  that  these  ideas,  struck  out 
at  white  heat  by  the  youthful  mind  of  sixty-five  years 
ago,  are  the  same  in  effect  as  are  now  recognized  as 
common-sense  laws.  For  instance,  one  of  his  pet  the- 
ories— and  it  was  entirely  his  own — was  that  the  most 


24  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

complete  rest  and  recreation  was  not  found  in  idleness, 
but  in  the  exercising  of  another  set  of  faculties.  "  Keep 
action  up,"  was  his  favorite  motto,  and  he  applied  it  to 
his  daily  life.  He  would  rarely  "  rest,"  for  he  was  rarely 
"  tired,"  but  aimed  to  keep  his  system  poised  by  counter- 
action without  over-action. 

Here  was  the  turning  point  of  his  life,  and  to  human 
eyes  it  seems  that  larger  opportunities  for  culture  and 
discipline  in  medical  study  might  have  made  him  a 
blessing  to  the  world  as  a  "good  physician,"  but  it  was 
destined  not  to  be.  He  felt  that  he  must  preach,  and 
circumstances  conspired  to  lead  him  in  that  direction. 
He  received  encouragement  from  ministers  and  other 
Christian  brethren,  and  the  second  Baptist  church  in 
Colchester  licensed  him  to  preach,  granting  him  "  their 
approbation  of  his  Public  Gift  in  Preaching  the  Word." 
He  had  been  previously  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Tennent  of  Colchester,  a  woman  whose  firm 
and  gentle  disposition  and  even  temperament  proved  a 
happy  balance  to  her  impulsive  and  eccentric  husband, 
and  whose  presence  was  a  blessing  both  in  household 
and  community.  He  received  a  call  from  Longmeadow 
to  become  pastor  of  the  church  organized  by  his  father, 
and  was  the  first  Baptist  minister  ordained  in  that 
town. 

He  could  not  at  once  give  up  his  medical  reading, 
and  he  was  fond  of  testing  his  own  theories, — sometimes 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  25 

at  the  risk  of  serious  consequences.  A  case  of  small- 
pox occurred  in  the  town,  which  caused  general  alarm. 
The  patient  was  removed  to  a  lonely  house,  the  road 
leading  thereto  "  fenced  up,"  and  he  was  left  to  the 
mercy  of  an  inexperienced  nurse.  Mr.  Atwell  could 
not  rest.  Braving  the  danger,  he  went  to  the  house 
and  administered  consolation  to  the  dying  man.  In 
due  time  he  began  to  feel  very  ill.  It  happened  on  a 
Sunday,  but  preach  he  would.  As  he  descended  the 
pulpit  stairs,  dizzy  and  sick,  at  the  close  of  the  afternoon 
service,  he  was  met  by  the  village  doctor  with,  "  Elder 
Atwell,  you  are  sick,  as  I  expected.  Get  home  as  quick 
as  you  can.  Here  is  some  medicine ;  take  it  and  go  to 
bed,  and  to-morrow  morning  I  will  come  and  see  you." 

He  started  on  a  rapid  run,  and  when  he  reached 
home  he  was  in  a  profuse  perspiration.  Throwing  the 
medicine  into  the  fire,  he  made  use  of  some  simple 
remedies,  and  went  to  bed. 

Morning  brought  the  friendly  doctor  according  to 
promise.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  better,"  he  said.  "  You 
have  had  all  the  symptoms  of  small-pox,  but  I  do  believe 
you  will  escape  the  sickness." 

That  he  did  escape  it,  Mr.  Atwell  claimed  was  owing 
to  his  own  will-power,  which  may  be  explained  by  the 
fact  that,  in  his  view,  disease  was  a  sin,  and  that  his 
physical  constitution  always  seemed  to  combat  the  one 
as  his  moral  nature  did  the  other. 
4 


CHAPTER    III. 

DEVELOPMENT. 

The  two  }  ears'  pastorate  in  Longmeadovv  was  virtu- 
ally his  season  of  preparation  for  his  life-work,  and  the 
following  extracts  from  his  journal  may  serve  to  show 
where  the  girding  and  disciplining  had  to  begin  : 

"  Lord's  Day.  Pleasant  day,  full  assembly,  consider- 
able ease  in  speaking,  not  so  much  spiritual  liberty  as 
I  could  desire.  Lecture  5  o'clock,  rather  dry,  not  much 
effect  produced  upon  the  minds  of  the  people.  Mon- 
day, severe  conflict  with  Satan,  followed  by  compunc- 
tions of  conscience  for  former  sin,  succeeded  by 
tranquillity  of  mind  and  strong  desires  after  holiness. 
Tuesday  morning  witnessed  a  victory  over  Satan, — a 
rare  thing  for  me.  Satan  could  boast  a  slight  advantage 
in  an  hour  after  his  head  was  bruised." 

It  will  be  seen  that  one  of  his  trials  was  his  natural 
self-consciousness.  To  overcome  this  he  prayed  much, 
and  we  find  in  a  private  note-book  a  set  of  rules,  written 
by  himself,  for  his  own  guidance  and^  designed  for 
his  own  eyes  alone.  We  intrude  upon  its  sacred 
privacy  only  to  make  one  extract,  which  is  suggestive 


28  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

of  the  habit  of  his  mind  of  seizing  all  sides  of  an  idea 
at  a  grasp : 

"You  wish  to  b^e  great,  and  yet  you  stoop  and 
tremble  before  the  very  men  who  ought  to  tremble 
before  you.  For  triitJis  sake  recover  from  this  igno- 
miny;  yet  you  must  be  sensible  of  your  own  ignorance 
and  weakness,  and  be  sure  and  keep  low,  for  then  you 
will  be  in  no  danger  of  falling." 

In  this  connection  comes  a  reminiscence  from  a 
former  pupil :  "  When  I  was  a  young  man  I  was  pain- 
fully bashful,  and  Mr.  Atwell  once  said  to  me,  '  There 
is  no  need  of  your  suffering  so  much  ;  people  don't 
care  as  much  as  you  think  they  do  !'  I  was  indignant 
for  one  moment,  but  the  next  my  eyes  were  opened, 
and  I  found  myself  immensely  relieved  of  my  self- 
consciousness,  for  I  saw  it  was  half  egotism." 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  Mr.  Atwell's  first  pas- 
torate seems  to  have  been  peace-making.  Two  promi- 
nent men  in  whom  he  felt  an  interest  became  involved 
in  a  bitter  quarrel.  After  much  difficulty,  he  succeeded 
in  bringing  them  together  at  his  own  house,  and  labored 
with  them  during  the  whole  of  a  long  evening.  During 
the  process  of  reconciliation  he  so  presented  the  good 
qualities  of  each  to  the  other,  that  both  were  surprised 
to  see  how  much  they  had  in  common,  and  grasped 
hands  in  friendly  sympathy,  and  afterwards  became 
congenial  and  even  intimate  friends. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  29 

Two  pastors  of  churches  had  a  grievance  with  each 
other  which  they  failed  to  reconcile.  At  last,  after 
much  dispute  and  unpleasant  feeling,  they  agreed  each 
to  tell  their  story  to  Mr.  Atwell,  and  abide  by  his 
decision,  whatever  it  might  be.  As  the  two  clergymen 
were  both  older  than  himself,  and  belonged  to  different 
denominations,  he  felt  himself  in  an  embarrassing 
place.  Before  listening  to  their  statements,  he  said, 
"  I  know  of  but  one  way  for  ministers  to  settle  a 
dispute." 

"  How  is  that .-'"  said  they. 

"  Do  as  the  great  peace-maker  did  ;  let  the  innocent 
one  bear  the  wrong  with  patience,  and  pray  for  the 
guilty  one !" 

No  more  could  be  said  ;  the  story  was  not  told,  and 
he  never  even  knew  the  nature  of  the  trouble  he  so 
summarily  settled. 

An  unhappy  estrangement  occurred  between  a  young 
husband  and  wife  of  his  acquaintance,  and  the  lady 
came  to  him  for  advice.  After  patiently  listening  to 
her  story  he  said  to  her,  "  You  should  not  have  said 
tJiat  to  your  husband  ;  it  hurt  him  cruelly." 

"  But  Mr.  Atwell,  he  just  deserved  it,  and  I  wanted 
to  strike  when  the  iron  was  hot  ! " 

"  But  don't  you  know  that  iron  can  be  made  hot  by 
striking }  Remember,  when  temper  grows  hot,  love 
grows  cold  ! " 


30  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

In  1824  or  '25  he  accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  West  Woodstock.  In  reviewing 
his  sermons  of  those  days  we  find  them  systematically 
arranged,  carefully  written  out,  simple  and  direct  in 
expression,  enlivened  by  the  characteristic  thoughts 
that  effectually  redeemed  them  from  commonplaceness. 
We  give  a  few  extracts  : 

"  Man  is  compounded  of  mortality  and  immortality, 
the  dust  of  the  ground  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty. 
He  fell  too  low  for  Divinity  to  stoop  to  him  ;  Christ 
combined  Humanity  and  Divinity  and  brought  them 
together." 

"We  were  made  in  God's  image  that  we  might  live  ; 
God  made  Himself  in  ours  that  He  might  die." 

"  We  are  subject  to  death ;  Death  is  subject  to 
Christ.  At  the  foot  of  Mt.  Olivet  is  a  garden.  In  a 
garden  the  image  of  God  was  lost,  and  in  a  garden 
regained.  It  was  lost  by  eating  pleasant  fruit,  and 
gained  by  drinking  a  bitter  cup." 

"  Christians  are  compounded  of  an  outward  and  in- 
ward man  ;  both  must  be  sanctified — the  inward  man 
by  faith,  and  the  outward  by  confession  of  it." 

"  God  came  to  Adam  in  the  cool  of  the  day  ;  He 
communes  with  His  people  in  times  of  cool  reflection." 

"  Man  makes  his  days  evil  ;  God  makes  them  few. 

"  If  saints  have  anything  to  boast  of,  sinners  have 
something  to  complain  of." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  31 

"  Patience  is  the  opposite  of  Passion,  and  to  this 
cause  may  be  traced  our  troubles,  and  to  Patience  many 
of  our  chief  joys." 

His  strength,  however,  lay  not  in  sermonizing.  He 
was  a  natural  pastor,  and  by  daily  contact  with  a  genial 
and  appreciative  people,  his  capabilities  in  that  direction 
developed  and  blossomed  into  life.  He  was  endowed 
with  a  large  share  of  personal  magnetism,  and  became, 
as  it  were,  en  rapport  with  the  whole  parish.  They 
loved  him  in  their  homes,  their  fields,  their  schools, 
their  stores,  their  work-shops  ;  and  this  leads  us  to  a 
vital  point  in  his  organism,  which  not  to  consider,  the 
story  would  be  but  half  told.  He  possessed  a  peculiar 
insight  into  the  natures  of  people,  a  faculty  of  reading 
the  countenance  and  coming  in  contact  with  what  was 
passing  in  their  minds,  by  which  he  understood  their 
character  and  motives,  and  at  times,  even  their  mental 
and  moral  history.  What  this  power  was,  how  it  orig- 
inated and  developed,  we  know  not,  but  we  know  that 
it  existed  and  that  he  turned  it  to  wise  use.  We  say 
wise  use,  because,  as  "a  consecrated  life  depends  upon 
unseen  sources  for  what  it  is  and  what  it  gives,"  this 
also  must  be  judged  by  its  fruits.  Always  used  in  a 
helpful  and  uplifting  way,  it  was  purified  and  sanctified 
in  him,  and  was  the  secret  of  his  influence  and  of  his 
life  mission.  Hence  he  was  a  natural  comforter. 
Wherever  was   trouble,   sickness,  or  sorrow,  there  he 


32  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

might  be  found,  binding  breaking  hearts  with  words  of 
consolation,  and  upholding  fainting  spirits  by  the  cheer 
of  his  presence.  A  few  lines  from  a  private  letter, 
written  by  one  of  his  most  valued  friends,*  fitly  puts 
into  words  the  experience  of  many  : 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  Rev.  Mr.  Atwell's  peculiarities 
were  a  striking  originality  both  of  thought  and  expres- 
sion, a  charming  quaintness  and  a  delicate  refinement 
that  gave  him  the  keenest  instincts  as  a  comforter.  I 
used  to  say  that  Father  Atwell  was  a  born  gentleman, 
and  would  have  been  one  under  any  circumstances. 
He  was  our  guest  to  my  great  gratification  the  summer 
after  our  little  Jamie  spread  his  bright  wings  and  left 
us.  My  heart  was  very  sore,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  delicate  sympathy  which  made  itself  felt 
in  all  that  good  man's  deportment  like  a  soothing 
atmosphere." 

His  faitk  was  of  the  land  to  remove  mountains,  for 
his  personal  relation  to  God  was  simple  and  direct  as 
that  of  a  child  to  a  parent,  and  his  trust  in  Him  was 
fully  as  implicit.  His  plan  of  living  was  not  readily  un- 
derstood and  was  sometimes  a  source  of  amusement  to 
certain  practical  minds,  because  his  point  of  view  was 
not  entirely  of  this  world ;  but  the  principle  that  he 
made  the  ruling  purpose  of  his  life  has  since  been 
largely  tested  and  carried  out  upon  another  continent 

*  Mrs.  S.  Emilia  Phelps. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  33 

by  George  Muller.  in  his  Life  of  Trust.  It  seemed 
never  to  occur  to  Mr,  Atwell  to  doubt  the  goodness  of 
Providence,  and  it  may  be  worthy  of  record  that  it 
never  failed  him. 

He  had  the  faculty  of  administering  rebuke  and 
instruction,  as  well  as  consolation.  An  excellent 
Christian  friend  had  much  trouble,  and  said  to  Mr. 
Atwell,  "  What  have  I  done  to  have  so  much  trouble  .'' 
I  cannot  feel  a  moment  of  peace.  It  is  like  being  in 
hot  water  and  boiling  oil  all  the  time." 

The  reply  was,  "  Christians  are  like  tea  ;  to  get  out 
the  strength  you  must  put  it  into  hot  water.  John  was 
put  into  boiling  oil  and  came  out  well  anointed  for  his 
work.  That  was  the  oil  that  filled  his  lamp  ! " 
"  But  I  have  lost  all  my  property." 
"  So  did  Job,  but  you  knew  it  was  in  good  hands. 
Did  not  God  take  better  care  of  it  than  Job  could .'' " 

He  was  a  zealous  friend  of  Sunday-schools,  and  while 
in  Woodstock  he  took  an  active  interest  in  foreign  mis- 
sions, and  his  house  became  headquarters  for  students 
and  others  who  were  preparing  for  the  work.  Mrs. 
Calista  H.  Vinton,  of  honored  memory,  was  for  a  time 
an  inmate  of  his  family,  and  there  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  self-denying  young  student  who  afterwards 
became  her  husband. 

Mr.  Atwell  was  especially  helpful  to  young  people. 
His/(?r^^  lay  in  recognizing  the  best  things  in  them, 
5 


34  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

and  by  a  few  timely  words  setting  them  in  a  way  to 
endeavor  and  success.  The  following  is  but  one  in- 
stance out  of  many : 

A  certain  man  had  a  rebellious  and  unpromising  son, 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  making  trouble  in  school,  and 
under  the  shadow  of  a  bad  reputation  was  generally 
shunned  and  avoided.  Mr.  At  well  was  then  teaching 
in  West  Woodstock,  and  the  father  in  despair  came 
to  ask  him  to  take  the  boy  under  his  care  as  a  pupil, 
and  "  see  if  anything  could  be  made  of  him."  He  con- 
sented, on  condition  that  if  he  caused  disturbance  he 
should  leave  at  once.  Accordingly,  one  Monday  morn- 
ing the  new  pupil  made  his  appearance  in  the  school- 
room. He  was  a  full-grown,  stalwart  young  man  in 
size,  with  a  sullen,  dangerous  looking  face.  Mr.  At- 
well's  first  thought  as  he  looked  at  him  was,  "  His  bad- 
ness does  not  lie  deep  ;  it  can  be  turned  into  another 
channel."      He   addressed  him,    "  Good   morning  Mr. 

.     I  am  glad  to  have  you  come  to  my  school.      I 

sometimes  need  an  assistant,  and  I  may  wish  to  call 
upon  you."  The  next  day  he  said  to  the  school,  "  I  am 
going  out  and  shall  be  absent  about  an  hour.     I  shall 

leave  Mr. in    charge   of  the  school,  and  he  will 

report  your  behavior   to  me."      Then  turning  to  the 

new  scholar  he  said,  "  Mr. ,  will  you  please  take 

my  chair  and  have  charge  until  I  return  } " 

When  he  came  in  the  school  was  orderly  as  usual, 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  35 

but  the  look  upon  the  boy's  face  was  Uke  a  transfigura- 
tion. To  the  surprise  of  every  one,  he  was  an  obedient 
and  well-behaved  scholar  to  the  end  of  the  season,  and 
the  winter's  experience  strongly  influenced  his  subse- 
quent course.  He  afterwards  said  to  Mr.  Atwell,  "  The 
feeling  that  some  one  could  trust  and  respect  me  went 
through  me  like  fire  !" 

Mr.  Atwell's  manner  of  teaching  was  original  and 
unique.  His  former  pupils  tell  many  pleasant  "  tales 
out  of  school,"  and  among  other  reminiscences  are  the 
"miscellaneous  questions"  with  which  he  sometimes 
would  close  the  afternoon,  and  for  which  the  scholars 
would  wait  with  sparkling  eyes  and  expectant  faces. 
One  afternoon  a  little  boy  fearful  of  being  disappointed 
cried  out,  "Oh,  Mr.  Atwell,  aren't  you  going  to  ask  us 
some  mischievous  questions  f 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  A.,  with  twinkling  eyes,  "we  will 
have  some  '  mischievous  questions.'  Which  is  the 
harder  to  bear,  great  sorrow  and  trouble  of  mind,  or 
toothache  .-* "  A  little  girl  who  had  been  a  special 
sufferer  piped  out,  "Toothache!"  The  laughter  and 
ridicule  of  the  school  was  more  than  she  could  bear, 
and  Mr.  Atwell  carried  her  home  sobbing  in  his  arms. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

SEED-TIME. 

Mr.  Atwell  left  Woodstock  in  1834,  but  absence 
and  separation  did  not  diminish  the  affection  between 
pastor  and  people.  It  would  seem  like  exaggeration  to 
tell  of  the  occasional  visits  afterwards,  the  brightening 
of  faces,  the  flying  up  of  windows  with  cries  of  "  Elder, 
stop!  Elder,  stop!"  and  the  greetings  and  reunions 
that  even  now  are  cheering  and  restful  in  their  memory. 
The  friends  who  knew  and  loved  him  well  have  grown 
old  and  passed  away,  and  it  is  ever  to  be  regretted  that 
more  cannot  be  gathered  illustrative  of  this  most  de- 
lightful pastorate  of  his  long  ministerial  experience. 

A  former  pupil  furnishes  a  reminiscence  of  an  effec- 
tive evening  sermon  from  the  text,  '*  Choose  ye  this 
day  whom  ye  will  serve."  "  Tears  and  sobs  resounded 
through  the  audience,  and  the  seed  sown  bore  fruit  in 
at  least  one  genuine  conversion,  besides  other  good 
results  that  memory  fails  to  recall." 

After  leaving  Woodstock  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Church  in  Cromwell,  then  known  as  Upper  Houses  in 
Middletown,  and  remained  there  one  year.  He  then 
settled  in  Meriden,  and  retained  charge  of  the  church 


38  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

until  the  spring  of  1837.  Early  in  that  year  a  general 
religious  awakening  resulted  in  conversions  and  acces- 
sions to  the  Meriden  churches.  An  extract  from  a 
family  letter,  dated  March  5,  1837,  shows  that  the 
Baptist  church  also  shared  in  the  blessing : 

"  Our  meetings  are  very  interesting,  and  we  feel  that 
a  revival  has  come.  We  have  had  meetings  everv 
evening  for  about  three  weeks,  and  still  continue  them,  as 
yet  with  great  interest.  The  vestry  is  crowded  to  over- 
flowing, and  the  school-room  is  opened  to  accommodate 
the  people.     To-day  the  anxious  ones  retired  to  the 

school-room,  and  there  were  quite  a  number.     L 

M commenced  praying  for  them,  and  one  prayer 

followed  another,  and  we  felt  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
was  there." 

While  in   Meriden,  Mr.  At  well  received  calls  from 

churches  in  Milford,  Haddam,  and  Suffield,  but  his  work 

awaited  him  in  the  quiet  village  lying  in  the  midst  of 

'hills    and    mountains,    known    in    the   olden    time   as 

Suffrage,  in  the  town  of  Canton,  Conn. 

His  first  visit  to  Canton  was  at  the  close  of  a  spring 
day,  when  he  found  himself  in  a  pleasant  village  street, 
and  conspicuous  in  its  center  was  an  old-fashioned 
meeting-house,  without  steeple,  unpainted  and  homely, 
but  gilded  and  glorified  for  the  moment  by  the  rays  of 
the  setting  sun.  The  church  was  the  oldest  and  had 
been  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  denomination 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  39 

in  that  part  of  the  State.  It  was  the  only  Baptist 
church  in  the  town,  and  its  members  and  sympathizers 
comprised  the  majority  of  a  community  that  reached 
over  the  outlying  hills,  and  included  thrifty  house- 
holders and  owners  of  thriving  farms  and  orchards. 
There  were  men  of  means,  who,  by  hard-wrought  accu- 
mulation of  cents  and  dollars  had  become  rich  without 
knowing  it,  and  without  knowing  or  fully  apprehending 
the  responsibilities  that  rightfully  belong  to  a  Christian 
church.  It  was  a  solid  and  stable  community,  self- 
dependent,  and  consequently  with  an  intensely  indi- 
vidual life  that  is  rapidly  going  out  in  the  march  of 
Progress.  There  were  troops  of  young  people  with 
sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  outgrowths  of  the 
New  England  of  forty  years  ago,  ready  for  the  impres- 
sions and  moulding  that  circumstance  and  influence 
must  and  will  bring  either  for  good  or  for  ill. 

In  the  midst  of  these  possibilities  the  pulse  of  the 
church  beat  low.  The  prayer-meeting  was  deserted, 
the  Sunday-school  on  the  eve  of  dissolution,  and  the 
lethargy  that  indicates  the  ebb  of  spiritual  life  seemed 
to  have  seized  upon  all.  It  was  a  rich  field  for  a  work- 
ing minister,  and  the  vineyard  was  waiting  for  its 
laborer. 

Mr.  Atwell  preached  in  the  old  meeting-house,  and 
some  of  the  people  went  to  hear  him.  He  came  again, 
and  noticeable  in  the  congregation  was  the  venerable 


40  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Dea.  Elisha  Case,  over  eighty  years  old  and  trembling 
with  the  infirmities  of  age. 

After  this  Mr.  Atwell,  with  his  black  horse  and  two- 
wheeled  chaise,  rode  over  the  hills  and  made  himself 
somewhat  acquainted  with  the  people,  and  with  this 
man  of  upright  carriage  and  magnetic  presence  came  a 
new  life  into  their  homes.  Strong  men  began  to  feel 
that  the  best  things  in  them  had  never  been  awakened, 
and  with  the  unwonted  stirrings  came  self-respect  and 
aspirations  for  better  things.  Children  upon  his  knee 
found  one  who  knew  all  their  troubles  and  could  delight 
in  their  joys ;  and  where  the  children  could  feel  confi- 
dence mothers'  hearts  could  rest. 

The  following  incident,  related  by  a  life-long  friend, 
seems  not  out  of  place  in  this  connection  : 

"  The  first  time  I  ever  saw  Mr.  Atwell,  I  was  taking 
care  of  a  cross  baby.  I  was  worn  out  for  want  of 
rest,  for  the  child  had  cried  more  than  half  the  night, 
and  it  seemed  that  the  more  I  tried  to  quiet  it  the 
louder  it  screamed.  I  was  about  giving  it  some  medi- 
cine to  make  it  sleep,  when  I  heard  a  step  on  the  porch, 
and  a  straight  man,  a  stranger,  stood  in  the  door. 

'  Don't  do  that,'  he  exclaimed  ;  *  let  me  take  the 
babe.' 

"  He  took  the  child  in  his  arms  and  walked  once  or 
twice  up  and  down  the  long  kitchen  ;  the  crying  stopped, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  it  was  fast  asleep. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  41 

*  There,'  said  he,  '  is  not  that  better  than  drops  ? 
Never  give  a  child  medicine  to  quiet  it.  You  did  not 
sleep  last  night,  and  your  nervousness  made  it  irritable. 
It  will  wake  up  well.' 

"  He  left  me  wondering  if  an  angel  had  dropped  from 
the  clouds,  but  I  learned  afterward  that  it  was  the  new 
minister." 

He  came  and  preached  the  third  time,  and  a  goodly- 
number  congregated  ;  unwonted  faces  were  seen  in  the 
pews,  and  a  general  quickening  impulse  was  evident. 
This  was  followed  by  a  meeting  of  the  church  and 
society,  which  was  reported  to  Mr.  Atwell  as  follows  : 

"  Mr.  Atwell,  the  church  would  like  to  have  you 
become  our  pastor,  but  we  fear  that  we  shall  not  be  able 
to  support  you." 

"  Is  that  the  only  objection  .'* "  said  Mr.  A. 

"  That  is  all,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Is  that  the  unanimous  expression  of  the  church  } " 

"  It  is  ;  the  only  objection  is  the  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing means  of  support." 

"  Then,"  said  Mr.  A.,  "  I  will  come ;  for  I  know  you 
can  support  me,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  will ! " 

Had  this  ended  the  negotiation,  no  one  who  knew 
him  would  have  been  surprised.  Here  was  the  work, 
and  that  the  Good  Father  would  take  care  of  the  rest  he 
never  doubted. 

So  he  brought  his  family  to  the  little  maple-shaded 
6 


42  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

parsonage,  and  began  preaching'  in  the  old-fashioned 
meeting-house, — which  may  we  never  forget !  The 
outside  doors  fronting  in  various  directions  ;  the  square, 
high-backed  pews  ;  the  lofty,  over-hanging  pulpit,  orna- 
mented on  occasions  of  evening  service  with  a  pair  of 
huge  wooden  yellow-painted  candlesticks,  for  which 
candles  of  extra  size  must  be  especially  made  ;  the  long, 
quaint  galleries  ;  the  choir  of  comely  young  matrons 
led  by  Major  D with  his  "  pitch-pipe,"  and  the  pre- 
monitory "  fa,  sol,  la"  by  the  singers  when  Rockingham, 
Dundee,  China,  or  Old  Hundred  was  to  be  rendered 
without  "variations"  to  the  waiting  audience. 

In  the  year  1838  there  occurred  a  powerful  revival 
which  seems  to  have  been  a  direct  result  of  a  series  of 
pointed  sermons,  preached  first  to  the  church,  then  to 
the  impenitent,  and  from  which  we  draw  a  few  extracts  : 

"  To  what  has  a  neglect  of  religion  brought  us  ? 
Read  on  the  walls  of  our  deserted  prayer-meeting.  Go 
there  and  exclaim  with  Elijah,  '  I  only  am  left !'  Look 
at  our  Sabbath-school !  Rachel  might  stand  and  weep 
for  her  children.  Look  at  the  amount  of  our  benevo- 
lence which  speaks  to  the  world  how  much  we  feel  for 
missions  !  Trace  these  dry  channels  to  their  sources  and 
look  at  the  heart !  Shrink  not  back  ;  come  indeed  to 
the  sepulchre,  but  find  not  the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus ! 
A  voice  in  mournful  accents  says,  '  He  is  not  here !'" 

"  God  cannot  look  upon  your  life  with  complacency. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  43 

nor  you  upon  His  commandments.  God  is  opposed  to 
your  heart,  and  you  to  God's  attributes.  You  are  at 
war  with  God's  justice,  and  God  with  your  injustice. 
You  view  God  a  hard  master,  and  God  views  you  a 
slothful  servant.  You  think  the  penalty  of  his  laws  too 
severe  ;  God  thinks  that  you  have  no  right  to  trample 
upon  His  laws  all  your  life.  I  solemnly  declare,  in  the 
name  of  God,  a  dreadful  war  is  waged  by  all  the  perfec- 
tions of  God  against  sin.  The  honor  and  truth  of  the 
King  of  Kings  is  enlisted,  and  truth  declares  in  thunder 
tones  that  in  this  war  God  is  right  and  yon  are  wrong  ! 
This  great  truth  I  must  declare,  God  is  right  ajid you 
are  wrong !  Oh,  that  I  might  engrave  it  with  a  sun- 
beam on  every  star  !  Oh,  that  I  might  dip  the  pen  in 
Heaven  and  write  it  upon  your  hearts,  God  is  right  and 
you  are  wrottg!" 

"  What  is  time  but  a  great  whirlpool  swallowing  up 
all  things  .'*  Around  and  around  you  are  moving  in 
lessening  circles,  and  the  grave  is  the  center  to  which 
you  tend.  On  its  brink  you  stand  only  long  enough  to 
undress  ;  and,  alas  !  how  often  is  the  cradle  rocked  be- 
side the  grave  !  All  you  can  lay  up  must  be  laid  up  in 
God,  for  all  else  is  dreadful  waste.  Jesus  calls  you. 
Once  He  hung  between  thieves  and  called  on  God  ; 
now  He  stands  between  cherubim  and  calls  on  you. 
The  terms  of  your  salvation  are  terms  Justice  never 
called  for  ;  they  are  granted  at  Mercy's  pleading  voice. 


44  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

The  means  which  you  refuse,  the  terms  that  you  reject, 
were  wrung  from  the  bleeding,  dying  Son  of  God. 
Repent  noiv  !  To-morrow  death  may  darken  your  eyes 
and  chill  your  blood.  Repent  now  !  To-morrow  reason 
may  be  driven  from  its  throne,  and  God  banished  from 
the  heart.  Repent  Jiow  !  To-morrow  conscience  may 
become  seared  and  impossible  to  move  you  again. 
Repent  nozv  !  To-morrow  the  Holy  Spirit  may  have 
fled  for  ever  with  this  tremendous  record, — a  crucified 
Son  of  God.  Repent  itow  !  To-morrow  will  carry  yon 
one  day  farther  from  God,  from  purity,  from  hope,  from 
happiness,  and  home." 


CHAPTER    V. 

HARVEST. 

The  awakening  was  widespread,  and  fifty-two  con- 
verts, many  of  them  young  people,  among  whom  was 
his  daughter,  were  baptized  and  united  with  the  church. 
It  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Atwell,  that  during  this  Pente- 
costal season,  his  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  individual 
needs  of  those  who  were  seeking  "  seemed  like  inspira- 
tion."    To  one  he  urged  only  submission. 

"  Is  this  the  way  .''  "  was  asked.  "  Must  I  make  no 
effort  ? " 

"  This  is  the  way  for  you,"  he  would  reply. 

To  another  he  presented  the  full  terrors  of  the  law, 
and  to  another  the  character  of  Christ  in  its  beauty  and 
its  tenderness.  In  looking  over  the  church  books  and 
reading  the  record  of  names,  and  tracing  the  subse- 
quent histories  as  far  as  we  know  them,  of  those  who 
were  brought  into  the  fold,  it  may  be  worthy  of  note 
that,  with  rare  exceptions,  all  have  "  held  to  the  faith," 
an  argument  against  a  prevailing  idea  that  converts 
made  in  the  excitement  of  a  revival  are  prone  to  "  fall 
off." 

Another  test,  perhaps,  of  the  genuineness  of  this 


46  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

awakening,  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  a  breeze  of 
opposition  arose,  and  that  upon  the  occasion  of  an 
appointment  to  preach  at  a  certain  school-house,  a 
threat  was  conveyed  to  Mr.  Atwell  from  some  "  fellows 
of  the  baser  sort,"  that  if  he  attempted  to  meet  the 
appointment  he  would  be  "  thrown  into  the  river."  He 
started  at  the  appointed  time,  and  as  he  came  in  sight 
of  the  trysting-place,  he  noticed  several  stalwart  forms 
gathered  together  as  if  in  waiting.  We  can  imagine  a 
little  more  straightening  of  the  erect  figure,  and  an 
extra  glint  of  fun  in  the  twinkle  of  the  eye,  and  curves 
of  the  mouth,  as  bowing  right  and  left,  with  a  courteous 
"  Good  evening,  gentlemen ! "  he  saluted  the  group, 
and  drove  on  unmolested. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Hartford  Association  in  1837, 
Mr.  Atwell  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
Education,  and  presented  an  interesting  report.  In 
1838,  he  acted  as  assistant  clerk,  and  was  appointed 
delegate  to  the  Ashford  and  New  Haven  Associations. 

In  October,  1838,  he  was  called  to  pass  through  a 
great  affliction  in  the  death  of  the  daughter,  whom  only  a 
few  weeks  before,  he  had  baptized  and  received  into  the 
church.  She  was  an  interesting  girl  of  sixteen  years, 
the  life  and  light  of  the  home,  and  dear  to  the  hearts  of 
of  the  people.  She  died  of  a  malignant  fever,  and  to 
add  to  the  distress,  the  wife  and  mother  was  pros- 
trated by  the  same  disease,  and  her  condition  was  so 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  47. 

critical  that  she  did  not  know  when  her  daughter  was 
buried. 

Whatever  weakness  Mr.  Atwell,  in  common  with 
other  mortals,  may  have  had  in  ordinary  affairs  of  life, 
in  times  of  greatest  sorrow  he  was  always  strong.  In  a 
letter  written  at  this  time,  he  says  : 

"  She  is  still  alive,  but  before  this  letter  reaches  you 
I  think  she  will  be  dead.  I  am  calm,  my  mind  is 
stayed  on  God,  I  am  perfectly  reconciled  ;  she  has  told 
me  that  she  has  thought  much  of  her  Saviour,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  her  spirit  will  be  with  the  saints  in 
light.  Deacon  Higley  and  wife  are  here,  and  the  neigh- 
bors overwhelm  us  with  kindness  and  sympathy." 

This  but  faintly  expresses,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  sublime  trust  with  which  his  whole  nature 
arose  to  meet  the  new  sorrow  laid  upon  him.  In  dark- 
est hour  he  seemed  to  fly  heavenward.  What  he 
received  he  must  needs  give,  so  the  more  his  own  heart 
was  aching  the  more  he  reached  out  to  others  and  gave 
himself,  as  if  for  a  refuge  and  strong  tower  of  comfort. 

Previous  to  this,  Mr.  Atwell  had  been  in  consultation 
with  some  of  the  members  of  the  church,  and  had  pro- 
posed the  plan  of  building  a  new  house  of  worship.  It 
proved  a  heavy  ball  to  set  in  motion.  The  matter  was 
debated  among  them,  the/rt^'i-  and  cons  duly  weighed, 
and  the  coiis  bade  fair  to  be  the  heavier.  The  sub- 
stantial and  conservative  members  considered  the  recent 


48  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

financial  pressure,  also  the  wordliness  and  seeming 
vanity  of  the  undertaking,  while  the  younger  portion, 
then,  as  now,  wiser  than  their  elders,  could  see  no 
obstacle  in  the  way.  In  course  of  time,  however,  the 
opposite  forces  were  happily  equalized,  and  the  ball 
began  to  roll.  Once  put  into  action,  the  work  went  on 
apace,  and  before  the  summer  ended  the  building  was 
finished  and  dedicated.  A  private  letter  dated  August 
30,  1839,  says: 

"  We  have  had  our  dedication,  all  harmonious  and 
pleasing.  Sixteen  ministers  present,  and  all  seemed  to 
think  it  the  most  pleasant  country  church  they  ever 
saw.  We  have  bargained  for  a  bell,  weight  eight  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  our  good  people  appear  delighted  and 
pleased." 

No  one,  perhaps,  was  more  so  than  the  veteran  Dea- 
con Elisha  Case.  His  sons  were  active  members  of  the 
church,  and  from  the  beginning  of  the  undertaking  he 
had  been  on  the  side  of  progress.  There  came  now  to 
the  good  old  man  a  proof  of  God's  love  and  delight  in 
gratifying  the  desires  of  his  children.  He  had  often 
been  heard  to  say,  "  I  want  to  live  to  see  this  house 
finished  and  dedicated,  and  then  I  am  ready  to  die." 

The  Sabbath  following  the  dedication  he  was  assisted 
into  the  pulpit  and  sat  during  the  service,  evidently 
listening  with  marked  attention.  He  was  the  oldest 
man  in  that  crowded  house,  and   regarded   by  all  with 


J^EV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  49 

reverent  affection.  In  a  few  days  after  this  the  new 
bell  was  raised,  and  its  first  service  was  to  toll  for  his 
death.  The  funeral  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  very 
impressive  sermon,  in  which  were  brought  out  some 
facts  and  curious  coincidences  of  his  life,  which  at  that 
place  and  time  were  of  thrilling  interest  to  a  large  con- 
course of  relatives  and  friends.  Among  many  others 
was, 

"Jacob's  number  was  seventy  souls  when  he  went 
into  Egypt ;  Deacon  Case's  is  eighty-four.  He  has 
numbered  eighty-four  years  and  God  has  given  him 
eighty-four  descendants,  one  for  every  year  of  his  life." 

Now  came  flourishing  and  palmy  days.  The  new 
church  was  filled  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  the  Aarons 
and  Hurs  stayed  up  the  pastor's  hands,  the  prayer- 
meeting  drew  breath  and  lived  again,  and  the  Sunday- 
school  once  more  gathered  in  its  own.  There  was 
much  native  musical  talent  in  the  vicinity,  which,  under 
skilled  training  and  leadership,  culminated  in  a  choir 
scarcely  equaled  by  any  in  the  State.  Sacred  concerts 
were  given  to  crowded  audiences,  and  beyond  expecta- 
tion and  precedent,  the  Baptist  Society  of  Canton 
rode  upon  the  top  wave  of  prosperity  and  popularity. 

In  1837,  Mr.  Atwell  preached  the  introductory  ser- 
mon before  the  Association,  and  in  1840,  he  served  as 
Moderator  and  prepared  the  circular  letter.  In  1841 
he  was  one  of  the  Board  of  managers  of  the  Connecticut 
7 


50  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF- 

Baptist  Sunday-school  Society.  In  1842  was  another 
revival  in  Canton,  and  twenty-one  were  added  to  the 
church.  During  these  five  years  of  work  and  evident 
results,  evening  meetings  at  school-houses  and  private 
houses  on  the  surrounding  hills  had  been  regularly 
appointed  and  sustained,  regardless  of  wind  and  weather  ; 
funerals  were  attended,  marriages  solemnized,  schools 
taught,  visited,  and  encouraged. 

This,  however,  is  but  an  outline  of  his  ministerial 
work  ;  it  is  the  filling,  of  which  only  a  gleaming  thread 
can  here  and  there  be  gathered  that  shows  the  man. 

About  the  year  1840,  the  fashion  of  Fourth  of  July 
Sunday-school  celebrations  became  popular  in  Connec- 
ticut. The  first  one  ever  held  in  the  town  of  Canton 
was  by  invitation  of  the  Congregational  church  in 
Cherry  Brook,  when  Rev.  Jairus  Burt  was  pastor,  and 
the  succeeding  year  the  Baptist  church  in  "  Canton 
street"  entertained  a  large  concourse  of  people  and 
children  in  a  pleasant  maple  grove  in  that  village. 

During  the  exercises  a  slight  shower  arose,  and  in 
the  flurry  of  excitement  that  it  caused,  Mr.  Atwell  said 
to  Mr.  Burt, 

"  We  Baptists,  you  know,  are  not  afraid  of  water ! " 

"  But  you  don't  believe  in  '  sprinkling,'  "  replied  Mr. 
Burt. 

"  We  can  accept  this,"  said  Mr.  A.,  "  it  comes  from 
Heaven ! " 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  51 

Upon  this  occasion,  Mr.  Atwell  made  the  welcoming 
address,  and  alluded  to  the  Temperance  question  as 
follows  : 

"  Beware  of  that  strong,  blind  Sampson,  Alcohol  ! 
Do  3^ou  see  him  between  the  very  pillars  of  our  temple  ? 
Are  you  fond  of  his  sport  ?  His  seven  locks  are 
hugely  grown,  let  us  count  them  !  Rurri,  gin,  brandy, 
wine,  whiskey,  cider,  ale  !  Beware  lest  our  Temple  of 
Liberty  share  the  fate  of  that  at  Jerusalem,  when  not  one 
stone  was  left  upon  another  which  was  not  thrown  down. 
Our  efforts,  like  the  Jewish  withes  and  new  ropes,  have 
been  sundered,  and  he  has  triumphantly  marched 
through  the  land  and  laid  us  heaps  on  heaps." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  attention  of  Christian 
people  throughout  the  land  was  so  generally  aroused  to 
the  evils  of  Intemperance,  and  an  excellent  Christian 
man,  who  could  not  readily  yield  the  associations  of  a 
lifetime  to  the  pressure  of  the  moment,  came  to  his 
pastor  and  said, 

"  Elder  Atwell,  you  know  that  Paul  said  to  Timothy, 
'  Drink  no  longer  water,  but  a  little  wine  for  your 
stomach's  sake  and  for  your  often  infirmities.'  If  that 
was  lawful  for  Timothy,  why  is  it  not  lawful  for  me .-' " 

•'  Because  no  inspired  apostle  tells  you  to  drink  it. 
When  that  time  comes,  it  will  be  lawful,  but,  until  then, 
you  had  better  be  a  water  drinker,  like  Timothy." 


52  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

"  That  is  not  quite  to  the  point,  Mr.  Atwell.  You 
have  not  answered  my  question." 

Said  Mr.  A.,  "  You  are  a  Christian,  are  you  not  .■' " 

"  I  hope  I  am,"  was  the  reply. 

"  You  think  that  you  have  experienced  the  grace  of 
God  in  your  heart } " 

"  I  think  I  have." 

"  Would  you  be  willing  to  give  it  all  up,  and  be  as  if 
you  never  had  that  experience  .■*  " 

"  I  never  could  be  willing,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Atwell,  "  Temperattce  is  to  the  body 
just  what  grace  is  to  the  soul!' 

"  If  that  is  so,  why  did  Christ  make  wine  at  the 
marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee  .'' " 

"  To  show  that  the  best  wine  in  the  world  comes  out 
of  a  water-pot ! " 


CHAPTER   VI. 

INCIDENTS. 

Mr.  Atwell  had  a  happy  way  of  officiating  at  a  wed- 
ding ceremony,  and  especially  of  disposing  of  shy, 
young  couples  quickly  and  without  undue  embarrass- 
ment, so  that  it  was  popular  for  such  to  "go  to  the 
minister's  and  be  married,"  sometimes  accompanied  by 
friends  and  sometimes  unattended.  As  soon  as  the 
ceremony  was  performed,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  start- 
ing some  pleasant  conversation,  which  was  calculated 
to  set  the  parties  at  ease  and  at  the  same  time  enforce 
a  salutary  truth.  Once  he  said  to  a  bridegroom, 
"  Well,  sir,  you  are  now  a  king  !  " 

The  man,  in  some  confusion,  stared  as  if  asking  an 
explanation,  and  Mr.  Atwell  went  on  :  "  Solomon  says, 
'A  virtuous  woman  is  a  crown  to  her  husband,'  and, 
you  know,  it  is  the  crown  that  makes  the  king;  but  if  a 
king  dishonors  the  crown,  he  is  unworthy  the  throne. 
Remember  that ! " 

Upon  another  occasion,  a  company  of  friends  came 
to  witness  a  ceremony,  and  among  them,  a  young  and 
thoughtless  mother,  with  a  boy  about  four  years  old. 
Mr.  Atwell  was  an  excellent  phrenologist,  and  passed 


54  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

his  hand  over  the  boy's  head.  The  action  caused  one 
of  the  company  to  ask,  "  What  do  you  think  of  him  ? " 

He  made  no  reply  until  they  were  about  to  leave, 
when  he  said  to  the  mother,  "  Madam,  educate  that 
child,  or  Satan  zvill !  " 

It  was  not  long  before  the  lady  called  to  see  him, 
and  said,  "  Elder  Atwell,  the  remark  you  made  to  me 
the  other  day  set  me  to  thinking,  and  I  have  come 
now  to  ask  you  kow  I  am  to  educate  my  child." 

"  The  boy  has  violent  fits  of  temper,"  said  Mr.  Atwell. 

"  That  is  a  fact,  but  how  cmld  you  know  it }  " 

"The  more  you  punish  him,  the  worse  he  is." 

"That  is  true,  and  I  really  dare  not  punish  him. 
What  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  The  next  time  he  is  in  a  rage,  keep  yourself  entirely 
composed,  for  when  you  lose  your  balance,  it  makes 
him  worse.  Put  cold  water  on  his  head,  and  when  he 
is  calm,  talk  with  him  and  reason  with  him  the  best 
you  can." 

Many  years  afterward  the  incident  was  recalled  to 
his  memory  by  a  greeting  from  a  stranger,  who  said, 
"  I  wish  to  thank  you,  Mr.  Atwell,  for  your  advice  to 
my  mother  when  I  was  a  small  boy.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  *  cold  water  treatment,'  and  it  was  my  salva- 
tion. I  am  quick-tempered  enough  now,  but  the  re- 
membrance of  it  always  cools  me  down  !  " 

Mr.  Atwell  was  preeminently  a  man  of  peace,  but  he 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  55 

never  forgot  his  manhood.  One  "  Election- day,"  when 
every  man  in  the  village,  except  the  minister,  had  gone 
to  the  polls,  a  little  girl  came  running  in  to  say  that  a 
tramp  had  come  into  their  house,  and  they  were  greatly 
frightened.  Mr.  Atwell  immediately  went  to  their  aid, 
and  found  the  fellow  insulting  the  lady  in  the  most 
coarse  and  abusive  language.  He  did  not  wait  for 
ceremony.  Seizing  a  cane,  he  threw  off  his  black  coat 
with  the  exclamation,  "Lie  there,  Divinity!"  caught 
the  brute  by  the  collar,  jerked  him  into  the  yard  and 
"  thrashed  "  him  until  he  begged  for  mercy. 

A  man  once  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Elder  Atwell,  I 
am  having  a  trial  in  my  mind." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  1 " 

"  The  Bible  says,  '  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,'  but 
my  next  neighbor  treats  me  like  an  enemy,  and  he  is 
so  aggravating  and  annoying  that  I  cannot  help  feeling 
very  hard  towards  him." 

'•  That  man  is  not  your  neighbor,"  was  the  reply. 
"  The  meaning  of  the  word  neighbor  is  *  near-dweller,' 
and  he  dwells  far  from  you  in  his  heart." 

"  But  am  I  required  to  love  him  ? " 

"  The  law  of  God  and  gospel  of  Christ  do  not  require 
impossibilities.  /  k7io'w  that  man,  and  simply  to  live 
in  peace  with  him  will  tax  your  '  love '  as  high  as  you 
will  be  able  to  pay." 

Mr.  Atwell  was  once  called  to  a  house  where  a  beau- 


56  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

tiful  child  lay  dying.  The  mother  was  in  an  agony  of 
grief  and  would  not  be  comforted. 

"  Oh,  Elder  Atwell,"  she  cried,  "  the  Bible  seems  to 
me  a  cruel  mockery.  Why  does  it  say  that  '  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes,'  when  he  don't  do 
it!  Oh,  he  don't  do  it!" 

Mr.  Atwell  said  to  her,  "  Did  you  ever  know  a  dying 
person  to  weep  "i  Think  now,  did  you  ever  hear  of 
such  a  thing  1 " 

This'  was  a  happy  diversion  of  her  thoughts,  and 
after  a  moment's  thinking,  she  replied  calmly,  "  I  do 
not  know  that  I  ever  did." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  is  the  reason  ? "  he  went  on. 
"  Now  every  person  in  this  house  weeps  but  07ie,  and 
who  is  that  one  .-•  Why,  it  is  your  darling  child  !  She 
sheds  no  tears,  for  she  feels  no  pang.  Christ  has 
wiped  away  all  tears  from  her  eyes.  You  need  not 
fear  death  for  her ;  she  will  not  know  when  she  dies. 
She  will  think  she  is  falling  asleep  in  your  arms,  only 
it  will  be  in  Christ's  arms  !  " 

Mr.  Atwell's  wonderful  power  as  a  comforter  natu- 
rally attracted  many  to  him  for  counsel  and  advice. 
Said  one,  "  Why  does  God  send  me  so  many  trials  .'' 
Can  you  tell  me  that } " 

"I  can,"  was  the  reply;  "It  is  that  they  may  pass 
away.  If  you  had  your  reward  in  this  world,  it  would 
soon  be  gone.     God  has  placed  it  in  Eternity,  so  that 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  57 

you  may  always  have  it,  and  where  it  will  abide  ;  but 
your  trouble  he  puts  here,  where  it  will  not  abide." 

An  aged  lady  residing  in  Canton  relates  the  follow- 
ing reminiscence :  "  I  was  confined  to  my  room  by  a 
long  and  tedious  illness,  and  Elder  Atwell  came  daily 
to  see  me.  He  was  much  opposed  to  a  certain  medi- 
cine that  I  was  taking,  and  I  never  could  deceive  him, 
for  he  always  knew  when  I  had  taken  it.  One  day,  in 
the  course  of  conversation,  I  said  to  him, '  Elder  Atwell, 
would  you  live  your  life  over  again  if  you  could  .-^ '  He 
replied,  in  his  usual  quick  way,  '  Would  you  .'' '  I  said, 
'  I  would,  if  I  thought  I  could  live  a  better  one.'  '  You 
would  not  live  a  better  one,'  he  replied.  '  You  would 
not  live  so  good  a  one !  You  would  make  more  mis- 
takes, and  be  less  satisfied  than  you  are  now  ! '  " 

A  young  lady  came  to  him  for  advice.  She  had 
received  an  offer  of  marriage  which  she  was  not  in- 
clined to  favor,  but  which  parents  and  friends  were 
strongly  urging  her  to  accept. 

"  I  do  not  know  but  I  am  wrong,"  she  said.  "  I  am 
^ot  much  acquainted  with  him,  and  I  may  be  preju- 
diced. You  know  him  and  you  know  me,  and  do  you 
think  we  should  be  congenial  companions  .-' " 

"  It  would  be  like  the  spider  and  the  bee,"  said 
Mr.  Atwell.  "  He  would  draw  poison  where  you  would 
extract  honey." 

He  sometimes  had  a  quick  way  of  disposing  of 
8 


58  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

"  bores  "  and  worthless  people.  Once,  while  riding,  he 
was  accosted  by  a  stranger  with,  "  Is  this  Mr.  Atwell?" 

"  That  is  my  name.". 

"  I  am  a  Baptist  minister." 

"  May  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  you,  sir !  Go  on. 
Chuck!" 

He  once  called  at  a  house  where  a  traveling  phrenol- 
ogist was  "  examining  heads."  "  This  boy,"  said  the 
man,  "  is  an  excellent  mathematician." 

Mr.  Atwell  turned  to  the  lad,  and  said,  "Did  you 
ever  '  do  a  sum  '  in  your  life  .'' " 

"  No,  sir,"  was  the  reply ;  "  I  never  did  and  never 
could ! " 

A  lady  friend  relates  :  "  Mr.  Atwell  once  said  to  me, 
'  You  are  very  sensitive,  but  no  one  knows  it,  and  peo- 
ple will  always  think  that  yoii  ought  to  do  exactly  right, 
and  will  not  make  allowances.'  That  is  true,  but  no 
one  ever  knew  it  before." 

Another  says  :  "  When  I  was  a  young  girl,  I  remem- 
ber asking  Mr.  Atwell  to  tell  me  something  about 
myself.  He  answered  in  this  way,  '  When  you  go  into 
a  company  of  young  people,  would  you  enjoy  yourself 
at  all,  if  you  did  not  think  yourself  a  little  better  than 
any  one  else  in  the  room  .-* '  The  rebuke  went  home, 
for  I  knew  it  was  true." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TRIBUTES. 

Mr.  Atwell  perhaps  will  be  longest  remembered 
by  the  scores  of  young  men  who  from  time  to  time 
have  come  under  his  influence.  Says  one,"  He  made 
me  what  I  am  ;  if  it  had  not  been  for  him,  I  should 
ahvays  have  groveled." 

His  mode  of  teaching  was,  at  that  time,  considered 
very  peculiar.  It  was  usually  objective  ;  stories,  bits 
of  history,  and  even  fairy  tales  made  the  means  of 
sending  home  and  stamping  upon  the  mind  the  impres- 
sion of  the  thought  that  he  wished  to  convey.  Conse- 
quently he  made  the  school-room  an  attractive  place, 
the  more  so  that  his  pupils  were  allowed  liberty  of 
thought  as  well  as  liberty  of  action.  His  controlling 
power  lay  in  calling  out  the  best  things  in  them  and 
making  them  see  the  best  things  in  each  other,  and  out 
of  seeming  confusion,  he  lived  to  see  grand  successes 
cropping  out  of  the  lives  and  histories  of  the  young  men 
in  whom  he  had  taken  so  loving  an  interest.  He  never 
was  happier  than  when  he  could  help  them,  and  at  the 
same  time  give  them  innocent  and  rational  enjoyment. 


6o  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

This  trait  of  character  was  illustrated  by  a  winter's 
incident  which  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  relate : 

When  teaching  the  "  select  school "  in  Canton,  a 
lyceum  was  organized  for  the  benefit  of  the  young  men. 
Its  distinguishing  feature  was  "  The  Bard,"  who  opened 
the  exercises  of  the  evening  by  reciting  an  original 
poem,  in  which  humorous  and  witty,  yet  harmless  allu- 
sions were  made  to  persons  present.  This  was  very 
ingeniously  done  in  the  form  of  puns,  by  which  some 
pleasantly  prominent  characteristic  of  individuals  would 
be  delicately,  yet  so  aptly  brought  out  as  to  call  forth 
roars  of  laughter,  enjoyed  most  of  all  by  the  persons 
themselves.  The  "  Canton  Bard "  speedily  became 
famous,  and  outsiders  flocked  to  see  the  fun.  The 
audience  was  usually  anticipated,  and  welcomed  with 
something  new  and  particularly  appropriate.  The 
Lyceum  was  invited  to  adjoining  villages,  where  the 
indefatigable  "  bard "  was  sure  to  find  material  for  his 
racy  and  sparkling  pen,  and  probably  no  one  enjoyed 
these  scenes  more  than  a  certain  Baptist  minister, 
whose  unique  and  original  brain,  behind  the  scenes, 
was  the  motive  power  of  all. 

Edwin  Gates,  Esq.,  of  New  York  city,  sends  the 
following  timely  and  heartfelt  tribute  : 

"  Chief  among  the  pleasant  recollections  and  associa- 
tions of  my  early  manhood  that  clustered  about  my 
memory  when  I   heard  of   the  death  of  my  dear  old 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  6 1 

pastor,  teacher,  and  friend — the  Rev.  Geo.  B.  Atwell — 
was  the  remembrance  of  our  acquaintance,  friendship, 
and  attachment  of  forty  years  ago  ;  for  although  sepa- 
rated at  times  by  the  breadth  of  a  continent,  I  never 
ceased  to  feel  the  effects  of  his  early  training,  his 
advice,  his  influence,  and  example  ;  all  of  which  had 
much  to  do  in  forming  my  character  and'shaping  my 
course  through  life.  I  was  a  young  man  "  in  my  teens," 
wild  and  thoughtless,  without  aim  or  purpose  relating 
to  my  future,  when  Providence  seemed  to  have  raised 
up  the  good  man  to  become,  as  it  were,  my  second 
father.  We  taught  in  the  same  building,  and  our  inter- 
course was  daily  and  constant.  To  me  he  was  an  elder 
brother,  delighting  to  lift  struggling  ones  above  the 
dusty  beaten  paths,  and  to  encourage  them  to  a  better 
life,  to  more  expansive  ideas,  and  to  a  loftier  and  nobler 
manhood. 

"  Sanguine  in  temperament,  buoyant,  cheerful,  happy, 
and  preeminently  companionable  in  his  tastes  and  dis- 
position, he  naturally  drew  about  him  the  young,  and 
having  attached  them  to  himself  by  those  peculiar  traits 
of  character,  he  seemed  to  especially  delight  in  their 
happiness  and  prosperity.  His  influence  over  the 
young  men  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  was  most 
powerful,  and  it  was  always  for  good.  I  doubt  not  that, 
as  in  my  case,  there  are  many  business  men,  located  in 
nearly  every  important  city,  and  in  every  section  of  the 


62  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

country,  who  are  proud  to  remember,  with  feelings  of 
esteem  and  gratitude,  the  tender-hearted  and  genial 
man  who  instilled  into  their  minds  the  first  ambitious 
thought  and  aspiration  to  make  for  themselves  a  name 
and  reputation  worthy  the  beloved  friend  who  first  in- 
spired in  their  minds  the  idea  that  to  each  and  every 
one  who  aimed  high  there  was  open  a  broad  field  of 
labor  and  usefulness  in  which  the  most  cultivated  talent 
would  find  room  to  labor  and  expand.  To  the  wonder- 
ful words  of  encouragement  which  so  often  fell  from 
his  lips  I  owe  much,  and  I  shall  ever  cherish  his  mem- 
ory with  feelings  of  respect  and  reverence,  for  he  was 
my  true  and  faithful  friend. 

"  Mr.  Atwell  seemed  always  to  overflow  with  hope 
and  courage.  No  one  in  trouble  or  laboring  under  dis- 
couragements could  come  in  contact  with  this  man  of 
sympathy  and  not  instinctively  feel  relieved  of  a  burden 
of  care.  His  whole  life  seemed  to  glow  with  cheerful- 
ness and  good  humor,  and  no  one,  however  despondent 
and  cast  down,  could  go  to  him  and  not  feel  his  own 
hopes  revived  and  his  spirit  lifted  up  into  a  new  atmos- 
phere of  confidence  and  restfulness. 

"  As  a  neighbor  he  was  kind,  gentle,  and  generous  ; 
as  a  teacher,  considerate  and  faithful,  devoted  to  the 
best  interests  of  those  under  his  care,  solicitous  for  their 
advancement,  and  anxious  for  their  promotion  and  future 
prosperity ;  as  a  friend,  matchless  and  grand ;  as  an  ad- 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  63 

viser,  safe  and  reliable ;  self-sacrificing  as  a  Christian, 
and  tender  and  loving  as  a  pastor.  I  remember  him, 
too,  as  a  zealous  worker  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Master ; 
at  the  bed-side  of  the  sick  and  the  dying,  inspiring 
courage  and  administering  comfort ;  at  the  desolate 
homes  of  the  bereaved  and  afflicted,  pointing  to  the 
mansions  enduring  as  eternity,  where  sorrowing  ones 
shall  find  comfort,  weary  ones  rest,  and  '  all  shall  be 
satisfied.' 

"  A  life  full  of  active  labor  and  efforts  for  the  good 
of  humanity  within  his  reach,  independent  and  out- 
spoken in  his  convictions  of  right,  yet  liberal  and  tol- 
erant towards  those  differing  with  him  in  sentiment,  he 
leaves  us,  not  to  mourn  our  loss,  but  to  rejoice  in  his 
gain,  for  'like  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe'  he  has  been 
garnered  to  his  reward,  and  to  his  ears  has  come  the 
welcome  plaudit,  '  Well  done!  " 

Perfection  is  not  given  to  man  upon  earth,  yet  some 
can  in  their  measure  approximate  to  the  ideal  of  the 
Psalmist,  when  speaking  of  the  perfect  man  and  upright 
he  says,  "  It  is  the  man  of  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart, 
who  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  to  vanity,  nor  sworn 
deceitfully.  He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt  and 
changeth  not.  He  that  back-biteth  not  with  his  tongue, 
nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neighbor.  He  that  walketh  up- 
rightly and  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart."  Such  a 
man  was  George  B.  Atwell.     In  him  the  elements  of 


64  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

perfection  and  uprightness  were  more  strikingly  marked 
and  clearly  defined  than  in  most  men  with  whom  we 
associate.  Dignity  combined  with  humility  sat  like  a 
crown  upon  his  brow.  Wisdom  and  simplicity  sparkled 
like  jewels  in  his  words  of  counsel,  and  sweetened  his 
carriage  and  intercourse  towards  all.  The  blending  of 
the  Christian  graces  that  go  to  make  up  what  is  good 
and  true  in  manhood,  in  him  shone  out  in  all  the  trans- 
parency and  innocence  of  childhood. 

"  A  purer  soul  I  ne'er  expect  to  find  ;  a  kinder  heart 
I  do  not  wish  to  prove."  "  His  words  were  kindness 
and  his  deeds  were  love  ;  his  spirit  humble  and  his  life 
well-spent ;  these  then,  and  not  a  stone,  shall  be  his 
monument." 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  FATHER  ATWELL. 

By  Nelson  Sizer. 

In  the  year  1844  I  formed  a  pretty  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  Father  Atwell,  as  he  was  affectionately 
called  by  a  large  portion  of  the  people  in  the  parish 
where  I  lived,  Avon,  Connecticut.  We  were  brought 
together  by  the  fact  that  Rev.  Niles  Whiting,  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  church  of  Avon,  was  my  brother-in-law, 
and  Mr.  Atwell  often  called  to  visit  Mr.  Whiting,  and 
frequently  exchanged  with  him. 

As  a  preacher,  he  had  many  striking  peculiarities  ; 
his    discourses    were  always  rich  in    thought,  full  of 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  65 

proverbs,  epigrams,  quaint,  yet  sensible  conceits,  with 
not  a  particle  of  chaff.  He  had  also  a  startling,  blunt, 
and  direct  yet  kindly  way  of  putting  things,  so  that 
they  never  could  be  forgotten. 

Everybody  seemed  to  think  that  he  could  be  ap- 
proached on  any  subject,  and  no  one  expected  to  be 
snubbed,  or  roughly  answered.  Children  confidently 
thought  that  he  would  right  their  wrongs,  that  he  could 
unravel  any  trouble  and  explain  any  mystery ;  and  per- 
haps it  may  also  be  said  that  well  grown  people  enter- 
tained similar  opinions  of  him. 

When  there  was  a  quarrel  between  members  of  a 
church,  and  one  party  complained  to  him  and  stated 
their  grievances  and  the  other  party's  faults,  and  were 
waiting  for  his  reply,  he  would  perhaps  suddenly  say, 
"  Brother,  you  have  not  told  me  anything  good  of  him  ; 
has  he  no  excellences  .''  is  he  altogether  bad  .■*  if  he  is,  he 
is  unsafe  to  be  running  at  large." 

This  would  generally  raise  a  laugh,  during  which 
Father  Atwell  would  say,  "  We  all  need  Christ's  pardon- 
ing mercy  and  the  patient  forbearance  of  brethren,  and 
you  and  I  must  begin  to  do  right  and  set  a  good 
example  to  our  weak  and  erring  brethren,  and  perhaps 
they  will  take  the  hint  and  do  better  in  future." 

By  this  time,  the  complaining  brother  would  see  that 
Father  Atwell  was  in  no  mood  for  taking  up  the  cudgel, 
and  the  subject  would  be  given  up  and  forgotten. 
9 


66  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Thus  he  would  neither  quarrel  nor  suffer  anybody  else 
to  quarrel.  He  was  a  peacemaker,  and  no  one  a  second 
time  would  try  to  rope  him  into  a  quarrel.  His  very 
approach  awakened  a  feeling  of  kindness  in  every  one, 
whether  he  were  Christian  or  infidel. 

He  had  a  large  brain ;  and  as  he  moved  among  men 
he  seemed  to  be  their  master,  a  kind  of  elder  brother, 
an  adviser,  a  wise  monitor  who  knew  all  they  knew 
and  something  more.  When  he  spoke,  strong  thinkers 
listened ;  he  not  only  had  strong  reasoning  and  philoso- 
phic faculties,  but  he  was  a  wonderful  observer ;  nothing 
large  or  little  escaped  his  attention  or  criticism.  The 
great  wideness  of  the  upper  part  of  his  forehead  indi- 
cated wit  and  taste, — he  was  brim  full  of  wit ;  every  solid 
thought  sparkled  and  glowed  with  wit  and  poetry,  and 
he  took  the  good  natured  side  of  all  topics,  and  proba- 
bly never  gave  offence  to  a  human  being.  Yet  he  had 
a  wonderfully  clear  and  direct  way  of  showing  to  a  per- 
son his  defects,  and  the  duty  of  reformation. 

His  large  benevolence  led  him  to  pity  ignorance, 
weakness,  and  sin,  and  to  shape  his  words  and  conduct 
so  as  to  do  good  to  each  man  he  met.  His  base  of 
brain,  especially  about  the  ears,  was  relatively  small, 
hence  he  was  not  combative  and  vindictive,  nor  did  he 
ever  attempt  to  carry  a  cause  by  storm :  he  had  cau- 
tiousness and  secretiveness  enough  to  avoid  danger, 
and  to  evade  any  thing  or  subject  which  could  not  be 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  67 

discussed  safely  and  profitably  to  himself  and  others. 
He  was  sensitive  to  the  good  opinion  of  his  friends, — 
enemies  he  had  none  ;  he  was  strong  in  his  attach- 
ments, and  awakened  friendly  regards  so  easily  that  he 
seemed  never  to  try  to  please. 

Though  his  brain  was  large  and  his  body  only  of 
medium  size,  he  so  carried  himself  with  equanimity  as 
not  to  waste  his  strength  by  useless  excitement  or 
excessive  work,  mentally  or  physically.  One  physi- 
ological fact  was  so  marked  in  him  that  it  is  worth 
noting  here.  The  action  of  his  heart  and  the  circula- 
tion of  his  blood  were  so  unusually  equable,  that  he  had 
no  rush  of  blood  to  the  brain,  and  no  congestion  of 
blood  in  any  part  of  the  system,  and  therefore  no  blind 
impulse  to  rage  when  provoked.  This  "  balance  wheel " 
of  his  constitution,  the  heart,  moved  uniformly, and  hence 
the  ease  with  which  he  controlled  himself  and  others,  and 
herein  we  find  a  reason  for  his  long  life,  and  the  happy 
harmony  of  his  mental  states,  and  the  holding  out  of 
his  faculties  so  long. 

Rest  thee,  venerable  friend,  in  the  fragrance  of  a 
pure  and  noble  life !  Thy  memory  shall  be  fresh  and 
sacred  to  all  who  knew  thee,  and  they  will  expect  thy 
welcome  on  the  brighter  side  of  Jordan. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

PLEASANT    VALLEY. 

.  In  the  year  1846,  Mr.  Atwell  resigned  his  charge  in 
Canton,  and  accepted  a  call  to  Pleasant  Valley.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  village  for  the 
space  of  twelve  years,  and  there  made  it  his  home  for 
the  remainder  of  his  days. 

The  score  and  half  of  years  in  Canton  and  Pleasant 
Valley  were  probably  the  most  active  and  busy  of  his 
long  life.  He  always  ignored  "  vacations,"  and  so 
rarely  failed  the  fulfillment  of  any  engagement  to 
speak  or  preach,  that,  during  a  ministry  of  fifty  years, 
we  do  not  know  that  he  missed  a  Sabbath.  Funerals 
he  attended  far  and  near,  for,  as  plants  turn  toward  the 
sun,  so  did  sorrowing  hearts  instinctively  reach  out  to 
him  for  consolation.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
schools,  and  at  one  time  was  given  sole  charge  of  all 
the  public  schools  in  town,  acting  as  examining  com- 
mittee and  school  visitor,  and  performing  the  duties 
alone  and  unaided.  This  to  him  was  recreation.  He 
delighted  in  children,  and  loved  schools  because  chil- 
dren were  in  them,  and  why  the  children  loved  him  is 


70  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

fitly  told,  in  better  words  than  ours,  by  one  who  knew 
him  : 

"With  Elder  Atwell  in  1846  came  a  new  and 
brighter  life  to  the  children  in  Pleasant  Valley.  He 
won  the  parents  by  winning  the  little  ones,  and  the 
youth  by  his  spontaneous  delight  in  all  innocent  pleas- 
ures. As  he  rode  over  the  hills,  he  rarely  passed  a 
schoolhouse,  and  every  face  beamed  and  every  eye  was 
his  as  he  spoke,  for  his  questions  always  waked  us  up 
and  drew  out  the  best  in  us,  and  his  words  of  counsel 
never  seemed  abstract,  for  they  came  as  an  object 
lesson,  and  we  could  take  it  in. 

"  I  hear  him  say,  '  Come,  children,  want  a  ride .'' ' 
while  a  full  load  and  merry  freighted  the  little  buggy 
with  all  speed,  and  then,  '  Come,  Chuck,  away  with 
you ! '  and  the  gray  pony  flew  down  the  hills,  glad  as 
his  master,  and  when  he  dropped  us  at  home,  somehow 
there  dropped  into  our  hearts  a  sense  that  the  minis- 
ter's Saviour  must  be  ours  too. 

"  His  home,  with  its  atmosphere  of  culture,  beyond 
other  homes  there,  was  a  center  where  the  young  felt 
themselves  built  up  in  better  things,  and  his  '  You  can 
do  this,'  another '  You  can  do  that,'  acted  as  tonic  when 
we  were  all  doubt  and  perplexity. 

"As  we  went  out  into  life  and  sought  to  lift  others, 
more  and  more  have  we  appreciated  his  work  in  Pleas- 
ant Valley.     And  better  than  all  the  active  service,  has 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  71 

been  the  saintly  spirit  shown  in  latter  years,  in  the  face 
of  disappointing  changes  and  conflicting  forces.  '  He 
strengthened  the  things  that  remained  that  were  ready 
to  die ; '  stood  by  broken  ranks  and  cheered  and  coun- 
seled until  the  great  command  came,  'Come  up  higher.' 
I  rejoice  that  he  lies  by  river  and  hills  that  he  loved  so 
well,  among  the  people  where  his  name  is  a  household 
name,  uttered  softly,  '  as  one  whom  God  hath  taken.' 
"  In  loving  memory, 

"  Mrs.  S.  H.  Lee." 

A  few  lines  from  a  private  letter,  written  with  no 
thought  of  publication,  adds  another  to  the  "testimony 
of  the  children." 

"  I  have  among  my  treasures  a  copy-book,  the  copies 
written  in  a  style  peculiar  to  himself,  in  rhymes,  notes 
of  invitation,  enigmas,  and  wise  sayings.  I  would  not 
part  with  it,  for  it  is  to  me  a  sacred  memento,  as  indeed 
all  the  remembrances  of  the  dear  old  man  from  my 
early  childhood  are  sacred.  How  well  I  remember  his 
coming  into  my  sick  room,  when  I  was  but  a  child,  and 
while  I  was  moaning  with  pain,  he  would  take  me  in 
his  strong  arms  and  carry  me  around  the  room,  telling 
me  fairy  tales  as  none  but  he  knew  how  so  well,  until 
all  pain  was  charmed  away.  This  was  often  repeated 
until  I  was  well  again.  Then  in  his  study,  where  we 
met,  a  few  of  us,  girls  and  boys,  day  after  day,  as  stu- 


72  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

dents,  and  listened  to  his  wise  sayings,  which  were  far 
more  pleasant  and  longer  remembered  than  what  we 
learned  from  our  books." 

The  first  "  select  school  "  taught  in  Pleasant  Valley- 
was  by  Mr.  Atwell,  in  the  winter  of  1846-7.  A  school- 
room was  improvised'  in  one  end  of  a  carriage-shop,  a 
single  desk  ran  from  side  to  side,  upon  which  books 
and  slates  must  needs  be  common  property,  and  each 
pupil  brought  a  chair.  It  was  a  delightful  little  winter 
world  to  the  bright- eyed  company  of  boys  and  girls 
that  gathered  there,  like  members  of  a  happy  family. 
The  exercises  of  the  day  would  often  close  with  "  Ques- 
tions in  Moral  Philosophy,"  calculated  to  arouse  busy 
thinking,  the  answers  to  bring  out  traits  of  character, 
by  which  they  might  learn  to  know  the  best  things  in 
each  other.  Sometimes  a  group  would  gather  around 
him,  while  he  would  say  to  one,  perhaps,  "  Yoicr  strength 
lies  in  your  tastes ; "  to  another,  "  Yojirs  lies  in  your 
sympathies  ; "  and  to  another,  "//  is  in  you  to  accom- 
plish what  you  zvish,"  supplementing  each  by  a  word 
or  two  of  incentive  towards  some  possibility  in  the 
future. 

During  the  revival  in  Pleasant  Valley,  in  the  winter 
of  1847-8,  twelve  young  people  were  among  the  acces- 
sions to  the  Baptist  church. 

One  beautiful  home  association  of  our  childhood  is 
the  morning  Bible  readings.     His   acquaintance  with 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  73 

the  Bible  had  been  Hfelong  and  intimate,  yet  he  opened 
it  each  day  with  the  fresh  dehght  of  a  seeker  of  pre- 
cious jewels.  "  Such  as  he  had  gave  he  us."  Keenly 
alive  to  its  spiritual  meaning,  and  reading  in  course,  as 
was  his  habit,  the  path  through  the  sacred  Book  was 
illuminated  for  his  children  by  their  father's  words  of 
wisdom.  Common  to  us  as  daily  food,  we  could  not 
know  all  their  preciousness  until  they  were  gone.  We 
knew  no  morbid  fears  in  reference  to  religion.  The 
home  atmosphere  was  that  of  trust  in  Providence,  and 
that  principle  was  the  mainspring  of  daily  action. 
Troubles  and  perplexities  were  often  present,  but  they 
seemed  to  bring  with  them  the  sunshine  and  serenity 
of  an  almost  perfect  faith.  His  prayers  in  the  family 
were  like  confidential  talks  with  a  beloved  and  honored 
father,  who  became  nearer  and  dearer,  in  proportion  to 
the  need. 

Never  to  be  forgotten  are  the  sorrowful  days  that 
followed  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother.  Morning 
prayer  was  the  altar  on  which  the  heart-aches  were 
laid,  and  from  which  was  derived  sustaining  comfort 
for  the  day.  One  morning,  the  chapter  read  was  the 
third  of  Titus,  in  which  occurs  the  passage,  "  To  the 
pure  all  things  are  pure." 

"That,"  said  he,  "is  not  well  understood.  It  means 
this.  The  altar  sanctifies  the  gift.  When  God  lays 
His  hand  upon  us  and  takes  away  our  enjoyments  and 
10 


74  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

gives  us  afflictions  and  trouble,  a  pure  heart  will  purify 
the  trouble,  sanctify  these  afflictions,  and  improve  the 

pain.     Why,  dear  ,  every  sorrow  has  a  meaning, 

and  there  is  a  design  in  every  trouble.  Mother  went 
home  in  the  best  way  and  the  best  time.     It  has  cut  a 

cord  that  bound  us  to  earth,  but  remember,  dear , 

that  every  loss  is  gain,  and  every  present  pain  the 
parent  of  future  pleasure.  If  I  did  not  believe  this,  I 
should  not  wish  to  live." 

Once  upon  reading  the  iith  chapter  of  Hebrews, 
the  talk  turned  upon  faith.  His  manner  and  words 
seemed,  at  the  time,  so  like  inspiration,  that  to  preserve 
them  from  oblivion,  they  were  written  down  on  the 
spot.  As  we  stood  around  his  dying  bed,  they  came 
vividly  to  remembrance,  and  yearning  hearts  longed  to 
know  what  his  experiences  were. 

"Faith,"  said  he,  "is  strongest  in  death,  because 
then  flesh  is  weakest.  The  body  lies  weak  and  pale, 
the  tide  of  life  is  ebbing  fast.  The  windows  of  the 
dying  man's  soul  are  darkened,  the  King  of  Terrors 
has  drawn  a  film  over  his  vision.  His  friends,  as  they 
surround  his  bed,  are  but  dimly  seen  ;  their  words  to 
him  are  indistinct  and  confused.  His  wandering  senses 
and  fainting  spirit  are  quitting  their  last  hold,  and 
while  darkness  curtains  around  his  eyes  and  the  lamp 
of  life  receives  the  last  rude  blast,  all  that  he  has  seen 
in  faith  now  appears  in  form  and  fact.     Now  his  faith 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  75 

is  lost  in  sight.  The  chart  and  compass  he  needs  no 
more.  He  has  passed  the  tempestuous  sea,  and  by 
them  has  escaped  the  quicksands,  rocks,  and  shoals  of 
his  dangerous  way.  Faith  is  like  the  scaffolding  of  a 
house,  needful  no  longer  than  the  building  is  being 
erected.  It  leads  and  supports  its  possessor,  nor  for- 
sakes him  until  it  points  out  the  Author  and  Finisher 
of  his  faith. 

"  So  Faith  ends  in  sight.  Let  the  dead  bury  their 
dead,  but  come  thou  to  the  mansions  of  the  blest ! " 

It  was  in  daily  life  and  conversation  that  Mr.  Atwell 
won  the  title  of  the  "old  man  eloquent."  His  studied 
thoughts  were  rarely  so  effective  as  those  that  came  to 
him  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  and  fell  from  his  lips, 
rounded  and  complete,  like  a  dropped  pearl.  Here  is  a 
gem,  the  setting  of  which  is  lost  and  forgotten,  but  the 
jewel  still  sparkles : 

"We  have  physicians  for  our  bodies  and  ministers 
for  our  souls,  but  the  nervous  system  that  lies  half  way 
between,  and  partakes  of  the  nature  of  both,  no  one 
has  been  raised  up  to  cure  that." 

He  always  kept  open  house  and  was  rarely  without 
the  pleasure  of  entertaining  a  brother  minister,  when 
the  hour  of  morning  prayer  would  often  extend  into 
half  a  forenoon  of  Bible  talk.  Once  he  opened  the 
Bible  with  the  remark, 

"  Well,  Brother ,  I  read  in  course  in  my  family. 


'je  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

and  to-day  begins  again  at  Genesis.  Every  time  I 
finish  the  Bible  I  think  I  may  not  live  to  read  it  through 
again.  It  is  a  two-leaved  door,  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New,  that  God  has  opened  to  us,  as  He  opened  to 
Cyrus  the  two-leaved  gate  which  was  a  key  to  the 
empires  of  the  world." 

After  reading  the  first,  second,  and  third  chapters, 
he  closed  the  Book. 

"  Now  Brother ,  why  did  God  close  the  Gate  of 

Paradise  against  Adam .''  Was  it  for  nothing  but 
punishment .-'" 

"  I  would  like  to  know  your  idea  of  that,  Father 
Atwell,"  was  the.  reply. 

"  It  was  to  open  the  gate  of  repentance,  which  still 
stands  open,  and  we  are  not  only  invited  in,  but  guided 
and  led.  What  do  we  find  on  entering  .-•  Everything 
that  we  have  lost,  and  tnore  !  " 

One  morning,  the  text  was  read,  "  of  myself  I  will 
not  glory,  but  in  mine  infirmities."  "  What  «?'^  infirmi- 
ties .■*"  he  asked. 

"  Something  not  over  desirable,"  was  replied. 

"  Desirable  ?  They  are  messengers  from  the  upper 
world  to  invite  us  there.  We  should  receive  and  treat 
them  well,  for  they  are  God's  ambassadors,  and  clothed 
with  high  authority.  What  we  call  troubles,  are  only 
our  wishes  crossed  by  God's  will  and  wisdom,  and  m 
reality  they  are  blessings  !  " 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  yy 

"  A  straw  shows  which  way  the  wind  blows ; "  and  a 
homely  and  not  unfriendly  remark  made  of  Mr.  Atwell, 
"  He  was  a  Baptist,  but  he  worked  for  Methodists  and 
Congregationalists  as  well  as  for  Baptists,"  is  a  testi- 
mony to  the  liberal  and  catholic  spirit  for  which  he  was 
distinguished.  Intelligently  and  conscientiously  a  Bap- 
tist, and  held  in  veneration  by  ministerial  brethren  and 
members  of  his  own  church,  his  views  on  different 
beliefs  and  forms  of  religious  faith  were  broad  enough 
to  give  every  one  their  due,  therefore  he  counted 
among  his  friends,  members  and  clergymen  of  all 
denominations.  Could  all  the  friendly  and  spicy  dis- 
cussions upon  different  points  of  doctrine  be  gathered 
together,  an  entertaining  record  might  be  presented. 
Here  is  a  specimen,  only  a  part  of  which  remains,  an 
incident  of  childhood,  yet  engraved  upon  memory  in 
enduring  lines. 

"  I  don't  object  to  your  baptism,  but  I  do  to  your 
close  communion.  If  you  could  bring  a  single  passage 
to  prove  that,  who  knows  but  I  might  be  a  Baptist .'' " 

" '  Wke?i  thou  prayest  enter  into  thy  closet  and  when 
thou  hast  SHUT  the  door,'  etc.  Is  not  that  close  com- 
munion .-* " 

"  I  hold  to  '  close  communion  '  with  God." 

"You  hold  to  'close  communion'  with  the  Head;  I 
extend  it  to  the  body,"  etc. 

It  is  told  of  Mr.  Atwell,  that  when  a  lawsuit  involv- 


78  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

ing  serious  consequences  was  threatened  between  New 
Hartford  and  Pleasant  Valley,  he  threw  himself  into 
the  gap,  and  by  personal  efforts  and  appeals,  and  the 
influence  and  force  of  his  character,  he  effected  a  recon- 
ciliation, and  succeeded  in  warding  off  the  impending 
calamity. 

His  universality  sometimes  led  a  certain  class  of 
people  to  misunderstand  his  character  and  motives. 
He  was  once  bluntly  accosted  in  a  public  place,  "  Elder 
Atwell,  I  don't  like  you !  You  agree  too  much  with 
everybody,  and  I  don't  like  you  ! " 

The  characteristic  reply  was,  "  I  don't  blame  you  at 
all.  I've  known  George  B.  Atwell  a  great  many  years, 
and  I  never  liked  him  very  well  myself ! " 

This  might  seem  like  a  quaint  and  amusing  diversion 
of  the  subject,  nevertheless  it  was  truest  expression  of 
self.  He  was  naturally  sensitive,  and  the  tendency  of 
his  mind  was  towards  self-depreciation.  He  was  always 
deeply  conscious  of  obligation  for  any  favor  received, 
yet  one  of  his  peculiarities  was  that  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  such  usually  came  afterward,  and  in  some  odd 
and  unexpected  way. 

Once  upon  the  occasion  of  a  "  donation  party  "  at  his 
house,  which  was  the  social  event  of  the  season  for 
miles  around,  his  note  of  thanks  appeared  in  the  Chris- 
tian Secretary  in  the  form  of 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  79 

A    SERMON. 

Text.  Be  at  peace  with  poverty  and  not  afraid  of 
penury. 

Introduction.  The  tvant  of  money  is  not  the  root  of 
all  evil.  "  Money  makes  the  mare,"  and  sometimes  the 
minister,  "go;"  albeit,  some  are  compelled  to  go  for 
want  of  it,  and  some  go  without  it.  In  the  Jewish 
church,  there  were  buyers  and  sellers.  In  the  gospel 
church,  Iscariot  offered  to  sell,  and  Magus  wished  to 
buy.  In  the  former,  they  were  scourged  out  with 
cords  ;  in  the  latter,  one  went  out  by  a  single  cord. 

Notice  the  terms  used  in  the  text. 

1st,  Peace.  The  peace  given  by  Jesus  is  worth  more 
than  the  thirty  pieces  given  to  Judas.  Judas  gained 
thirty  pieces,  but  lost  his  own.  He  was  not  at  peace 
with  poverty  ;  fearful  of  penury,  he  died  in  infamy. 

2d,  Poverty.  When  ministers  are  poorer  than  their 
Master,  when  laborers  are  more  indigent  than  their 
Lord,  when  preachers  have  less  silver  and  gold  than 
Peter,  and  pastors  suffer  more  loss  than  Paul,  then  may 
they  break  peace  with  poverty,  and  to  escape  penury, 
embrace  popery. 

3d,  Penury.  Penury  points  to  providence  and  its 
provisions,  viz.,  the  widow's  mites,  and  Jonah's  gourd, 
and  Peter's  gold-fish.  One  widow  in  penury  received 
a  prophet  in   the  name  of  a  prophet,  and  received  a 


8o  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

prophet's  reward.  What  the  other  did,  she  did  with 
all  her  mite.  Peter's  tax  was  crossed  by  what  God 
gave,  and  Jonah's  temper  by  what  he  took  away. 

Doctrine.  He  that  is  p'atient  in  poverty  is  prudent  in 
plenty.     The  application  of  the  subject  is  a 

DONATION    VISIT. 

When  the  old  year  '52  went  out,  and  the  new  year 
'53  came  in,  poverty  went  out  with  the  old,  and  plenty 
came  in  with  the  new.  What !  know  ye  not  that  there 
is  poetry  in  poverty .''  Friends  came  unto  us,  not 
weary,  but  heavy-laden.  One  hundred  and  seventy 
persons  sat  down  to  a  Board  of  Relief,  and  the  board 
could  have  relieved  as  many  more.  What  though  they 
have  made  me  their  debtor,  they  have  likewise  made 
the  banks  mine  ;  for  should  banks  of  earth  cave  in,  and 
their  paper  and  promise  fail,  Providejice  Bank  is  good, 
and  yields  to  the  stockholders  a  dividend  of  thirty,  sixty, 
and  a  hundred  fold. 

"^^  He  that  is  at  peace  with  poverty  can  be  at  peace 

with  the  people. 

GEORGE  B.  ATWELL, 

Pleasant  Valley,  January  3,  1853. 

Mr.  Atwell  was  in  the  habit  of  contributing,  from 
time  to  time,  short  articles  to  the  Christian  Secretary. 

The  following  is  the  only  one  that,  written  at  about 
this  time,  was  preserved  by  himself : 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  8i 

"THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

"  On  the  seventh  day  God  rested,  and  the  Sabbath 
was  perpetuated.  It  was  incorporated  into  the  Jewish 
code,  and  its  observance  binding  on  the  Israelites  by 
positive  precept ;  and  morally  on  all  mankind. 

"  Still,  'twas  a  shadow.  A  shadow,  cast  from  the 
body  of  Christ.  '  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in 
meat  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  a  holy  day,  or  of  the 
new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath  days  ;  which  are  a  shadow 
of  things  to  come  ;  but  the  dody  is  of  Christ.' — Col.  ii, 
1 6  and  17. 

"  When  Christ  came  in  the  body,  shadows  gave  place 
to  substance.  The  law  and  the  prophets  travelled  until 
they  met  John  ;  then  their  lesser  was  lost  in  his  greater 
light.  John  met  Jesus,  and  as  the  day  star  declines 
before  the  sun,  John  began  to  decrease ;  had  a  cubit 
taken  from  his  stature,  and  the  Voice  gave  way  to  the 
Word.  The  Word  was  God,  and  He  was  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath  day.     Id  est,  author  of,  and  had  power  over  it. 

"When  God  finished  His  work  He  rested  on  the 
seventh  day.  When  Christ  said  '  It  is  finished,'  on 
the  eve  of  the  Sabbath,  He  rested  from  His  work  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  and  His  rest  was  glorious.  When 
He  was  buried,  the  old  Jewish  Sabbath  was  buried 
with  Him.  The  old  covenant  of  sacrifices  and  Sab- 
baths had  waxed  old,  were  ready  to  die,  and  vanished 
II 


82  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

away.  The  day  the  Saviour  lay  under  the  power  of 
death  was  not  a  day  of  rest  to  His  weeping  church. 
A  Sabbath  without  a  Saviour,  like  a  body  without  a 
soul,  is  dead.  The  Redeemer  arose  on  the  first  day  of 
the  week — Lord's  day.  Abraham  desired  to  see  that 
day  ;  he  saw  it  when  Isaac  arose  from  the  altar  of 
death,  and  zvas  glad.  His  true  sons  and  daughters 
were  glad  when  they  saw  their  risen  Lord.  '  This  is 
the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made,  we  will  rejoice  and 
be  glad  in  it.'  This  is  the  Lord's  day,  and  it  bears  his 
image  and  superscription.  a.  b.  g." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

UTTERANCES. 

At  an  ordination,  where  Mr.  Atwell  was  appointed 
to  deliver  the  "  charge  to  the  candidate,"  he  spoke  as 
follows : 

"  A  bishop  must  be  blameless,  though  blamed.  Clad 
in  white,  yet  called  to  walk  among  pots  and  kettles,  he 
must  take  heed  to  keep  his  garments  unspotted,  for  a 
black  spot,  though  it  may  not  be  seen  on  black,  is 
always  noticed  on  white.  Take  heed,  therefore,  to 
make  and  leave  a  mark  on  the  world,  and  as  good  heed 
not  to  receive  and  retain  a  mark  from  the  world. 
Take  heed  against  a  desire  for  popular  applause  and 
places.  It  is  difficult  to  stand  on  a  high  place,  and 
dangerous  to  fall.  We  never  find  the  great  High 
Priest  of  our  profession  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple 
but  once.  Who  took  Him  there  f  What  were  His 
views  on  an  exceeding  high  mountain  ?  The  kingdoms 
of  this  world  ;  but  zvhat  was  His  company  on  these  high 
places  }  Mountains  and  lofty  rocks  may  be  places  for 
goats,  but  the  valleys  contain  the  green  pastures  and 
still  waters,  where  a  shepherd  should  lead,  not  drive. 


84  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

his  flock.  A  minister  should  not  rise  higher  than  the 
cross  can  raise  him." 

While  spending  a  few  days  in  New  York  city,  he 
chanced  to  stray  into  a  small  chapel,  thinking  to  find  a 
week-day  prayer-meeting.  It  proved  to  be  a  Bible 
class  of  middle-aged  men,  and  "the  stranger"  was 
invited  to  join.  He  did  so,  and  a  question  was  imme- 
diately put  to  him,  "  What  is  the  design  of  Prayer } " 

He  arose  and  replied,  "  To  keep  up  the  correspond- 
ence between  Heaven  and  Earth.  We  have  an  order 
on  the  Bank  of  Heaven  ;  it  reads  in  this  way,  Ask^  and 
ye  shall  receive.  Prayer  takes  this  order  to  the  Bank. 
'Tis  a  bank  that  always  discounts.  From  it  Peter 
drew  a  fish,  a  gold-fish  with  money  in  its  mouth ;  money 
for  the  demand,  and  the  fish  for  dinner.  From  this 
bank  one  widow  drew  meal,  another  oil,  and  another  a 
life  insurance  for  her  son.  This  bank  is  always  open, 
and  its  President  sits  over  against  the  treasury." 

The  following  is  from  a  private  letter : 

"  My  fare  may  fail,  my  faith  never.  You'll  find  my 
bank  will  never  be  bankrupt ;  'tis  a  bank  no  flood  can 
overflow,  no  earthquake  cave  it  in.  All  I  have  is 
invested  in  this  bank.  To  gain  access  to  it  I  need  a 
check  ;  a  check  to  avarice  and  pride.  Would  you  know 
where  this  bank  is .''     Seek  and  ye  s  J  mil  find  T 

A  fragment  found  among  his  writings  seems  worth 
preserving  :    "  Christ '  intended    to   stamp   importance 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  85 

upon  the  last  act  of  his  Hfe,  and  to  fulfill  every  jot  and 
tittle  of  the  law  he  must  eat  the  passover.  He  sent 
two  of  his  disciples  and  saith  unto  them,  '  Go  ye  into 
the  city,  and  there  shall  meet  you  a  man  bearing  a 
pitcher  of  water ;  follow  him,  and  he  shall  lead  you  into 
an  upper  chamber.'  Suppose  it  had  been  a  pitcher  of 
rum,  would  Christ  have  commanded  them  to  follow 
him  ?  No,  he  would  have  led  them  into  a  low  cellar, 
but  the  cold  water  man  led  them  upiuard." 

The  following  were  gathered  up  as  they  were  let  fall, 
without  the  connection  in  which  they  were  spoken  : 

"  The  way  to  treat  slanderers  is  to  let  them  alone,  as 
mud  upon  your  garments  should  be  let  alone.  Mor- 
decai  let  Haman  alone,  and  he  finished  the  gallows 
unmolested.  Haman  intended  to  rise  by  Mordecai's 
fall,  and  he  did  rise,  but  it  was  fifty  cubits  higher  than 
he  expected !" 

"  A  falling  star  cannot  abide  the  rising  sun." 
"  Christ  can  cast  an  evil  spirit  out  of  a  man,  but  an 
evil  spirit  cannot  cast  out  Christ." 
"  All  Christ's  miracles  were  mercies." 
"  We  must  die  in  order  to  be  deathless." 
"  We  learn  to  do  duty  from  the  law ;  we  learn  to  love 
duty  from  the  gospel." 

"  Before  conversion  our  heart  is  our  worse  part ;  after 
conversion  it  is  the  best." 

"  If  you  cannot  remove  a  mountain  by  faith,  mount 


86  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

above  it  by  faith's  wings.  If  you  cannot  fly,  then  bear 
it  with  patience.  Patience  can  bear  what  faith  cannot 
remove.  Patience  can  do  us  more  good  than  all  the 
trouble  in  the  world  can  do  us  harm." 

"  It  is  easier  to  resist  one  temptation  than  to  gratify 
all  that  follow."  ' 

"  The  death  of  the  body  is  death  to  our  sins,  but  life 
to  our  grace." 

"  Man  may  suffer  and  not  sin,  but  cannot  sin  and  not 
suffer." 

"  Self  is  another  name  for  sin  ;  love  is  another  name 
for  God.     God  is  love  and  Satan  is  self." 

"  Conscience  is  light,  not  love  ;  it  wounds,  but  never 
cures.  It  troubles  us  on  account  of  sin,  but  so  far  from 
cleansing,  that  it  needs  cleansing  itself." 

"  Make  man  right  and  all  things  are  rectified." 

"  The  worst  men  are  not  in  Newgate,  and  the  best 
not  in  the  pulpit ;  the  wisest  not  in  Congress,  and  the 
most  insane  not  in  the  Retreat." 

"  It  is  a  great  thing  to  act  right  when  you  feel 
wrong." 

"  Weeping  is  good  for  the  heart,  and  laughter  is  good 
for  the  liver.  Man  is  the  only  being  endowed  with  the 
power  of  laughter,  and  the  only  being  that  deserves  to 
be  laughed  at." 

"  When  you  are  wrong  turn  right  about  and  you  will 
be  about  right." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  87 

"  Let  a  man  in  the  zenith  of  prosperity  remember 
that  when  the  moon  is  full  it  grows  no  larger,  and  when 
the  clock  strikes  twelve  it  does  not  strike  thirteen 
next." 

"  That  which  will  break  a  proud  man's  heart,  will  not 
disturb  a  humble  man's  sleep." 

"  A  wrong  opinion  is  worse  than  none.  To  believe 
a  falsehood  is  the  worst  kind  of  unbelief.  He  that  is 
led  by  a  blind  guide  is  more  exposed  to  the  ditch  than 
he  who  has  no  feet." 

"  When  you  know  not  what  to  do,  never  do  you  know 
not  what." 


CHAPTER    X. 

PEARLS. 

In  the  intervals  of  pastoral  duty  in  Pleasant  Valley, 
Mr.  Atwell  found  time  to  write  a  series  of  original 
fables,  a  few  of  which  have  been  published.  He  in- 
tended a  book,  the  material  for  which  was  never  com- 
pleted, but  whose  design  came  so  near  maturity  as  to 
take  to  itself  a  title  and  a  preface : 

PEARLS  FOR  THE  POOR, 
CONTAINED    IN    PROVERBS  AND  PARABLES, 

IN    WHICH 

FACT  IS  DRAWN  FROM  FABLE. 
PREFACE. 

Why  do  I  speak  in  parables.!*  Because  men  will  lis- 
ten to  birds  and  beasts  when  they  would  not  hear  a 
bishop,  and  like  better  to  hear  a  parrot  talk  than  a  par- 
son preach. 

The  barking  of  a  dog  once  saved  the  infant  colonies, 

and  the  gabbling  of  a  goose  prevented  Rome  from  being 

sacked  and  burned.     The  crowing  of  a  cock  brought 

Peter  to  penitence.     A  prophet  was  reproved  by  the 

12 


90  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

mouth  of  an  ass,  and  a  thousand  men  were  slain  by  its 
jaw.  Solomon  sent  sluggards  to  the  ant,  Sampson  took 
honey  from  a  lion,  and  Peter  drew  funds  from  a  fish. 

The  Great  Teacher  taught  His  followers  to  notice  the 
lilies  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  from 
them  learn  the  doctrine  of  providence.  In  the  Bible 
beasts  and  brambles  talk,  nor  is  the  serpent  dumb  in 
the  volume  of  inspiration.  Job  said,  '^Ask  now  the 
beasts  and  they  shall  teach  thee,  a?id  the  fowls  of  the  air 
and  they  shall  tell  thee." 

Go  then  into  the  pages  and  among  the  leaves  of  this 
book  and  listen  to  the  conversation  of  the  beasts  and 
birds  ;  your  Heavenly  Father  gave  them  their  nature, 
your  earthly  father  gave  them  their  names. 

Be  not  sad  nor  sorrowful  when  you  read,  nor  sour 
when  you  search,  for  vinegar,  it  is  said,  will  dissolve 
pearls. 

THE  ALPHABET. 

A  sedition  disturbed  the  republic  of  letters.  The 
consonants  accused  the  vowels  of  aristocracy  and  mo- 
nopoly, although  they  were  a  minority.  At  a  meeting, 
President  A  remarked  that  "  a  confusion  of  tongues 
proved  disastrous  to  Babel,  and  a  discord  among  letters 
would  work  mischief  among  Bibles.  If  we  go  according 
to  Walker,"  he  continued,  "  we  shall  walk  together  and 
be  agreed,  and  our  great  patron  M'ebster  is  not  a  dis- 
unionist." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  91 

H  took  the  floor  and  said  "  I  claim  equality,  and  raise 
my  voice  against  partiality.  You,  sir,  who  sit  in  that 
chair,  have  five  sounds  ;  but  I,  who  have  a  strong  in- 
ward impulse  and  aspiration,  am  allowed  no  sound  ;  no, 
not  even  in  honor  can  I  be  heard." 

T  arose.  Addressing  the  chair,  he  said,  "  I  demand, 
sir,  by  what  authority  you  are  placed  at  the  head,  and 
who  gave  you  this  authority  .''  I  complain  of  crosses  ; 
I  am  always  crossed,  and  the  cross  I  am  compelled  to 
bear." 

Z  next  stood  up,  but  from  his  voice  you  could  not 
distinguish  him  from  6".  He  stated  as  the  ground  of 
his  complaint  that  he  was  trampled  under  foot,  that 
they  were  all  above  him,  that  he  was  placed  next  to 
ampersand,  and  could  not  rise  above  zero. 

S,  sour  and  sad,  made  a  very  crooked  speech. 

X  looked  very  cross  and  spoke  Xtempore. 

The  mutes,  hitherto  regarded  as  deaf  and  dumb,  for 
the  first  time  uttered  their  voice  ;  they  suggested  the 
removal  and  banishment  of  all  capital  letters,  as  large 
capitalists  were  dangerous  in  a  republic. 

The  liquids,  unstable  as  water,  expressed  no  opinion, 
and  the  semi-vowels  remained  on  the  fence. 

Q  questioned,  queried,  quibbled,  and  quarreled. 

The  consonants  were  clamorous  for  disunion,  and 
the  house  divided,  the  consonants  on  one  side  and  the 
vowels  on   the  other.      [['  and  Y  did  not  leave  their 


92  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OE 

places,  and  both  parties  claimed  them.  The  consonants, 
knowing  their  numbers,  called  upon  P  to  poll  the  votes. 
6"  was  chosen  speaker,  but  could  not  speak  a  word 
without  a  vowel.  The  vowels  could  utter  a  sound  but 
not  a  syllable  without  a  consonant.  The  consonants 
now  were  virtually  silent  letters,  and  the  vowels  mutes. 

Y  wisely  spoke  and  said,  "'The  end  of  folly  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom,'  and  as  [Fis  first  in  wisdom,  let 
him  mediate  between  the  contending  parties." 

W  stood  midway  between  the  vowels  and  conso- 
nants and  said,  "  Brothers,  although  I  am  a  double 
letter,  I  shall  not  speak  with  a  double  tongue.  I've 
an  equal  interest  in  you  both,  for  when  I  begin  a  sylla- 
ble I  am  a  consonant,  and  everywhere  else  I  am  a 
vowel.  Divided  you  cannot  stand,  you  cannot  speak, 
neither  can  you  spell.  Though  bound  to  spell,  you  are 
now  spell  bound.  Come  together  in  Union.  See,  it 
begins  with  a  vowel  and  is  finished  with  a  consonant, 
and  by  taking  either  from  it,  it  is  spoiled.  You  pre- 
serve it  as  long  as  you  keep  together ;  you  destroy  it 
when  you  separate.  Division  is  destruction,  and  when 
you  dissolve  your  Union  you  ensure  your  own  dissolu- 
tion ;  for  in  compact  and  constitution  vowels  and  con- 
sonants are  blended  and  united." 

The  letters  voted  to  dissolve  the  meeting,  but  not  the 
union. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  93 

Moral. 

The  dissolution  of  States  in  a  federal  compact  is 
commonly  a  suicidal  act.  The  sword  of  sedition  sep- 
arates soul  and  spirit,  and  divides  the  joints  and  marrow 
of  a  republic. 

Men,  by  observing  the  characters  drawn  in  the  fore- 
going fable,  may  learn  something  of  their  own. 

THE  SHORT  MAN  AND  LONG  SHADOW. 

A  certain  dwarf  named  yohn  was  in  feeling  above, 
but  in  fact  below,  the  ordinary  height,  and  he  was  much 
chagrined  to  see  common  people  head  and  shoulders 
above  him.  Unable  by  taking  thought  to  add  a  cubit 
to  his  stature,  or  to  make  others  a  cubit  less,  he  was 
chafed  at  his  low  standing,  and  vexed  at  being  called 
Demi  John. 

Arising  very  early  one  morning,  he  noticed  that  his 
body  cast  a  long  shadow.  He  was  rejoiced  at  the 
sight,  and  said,  "  Can  a  short  body  reflect  a  long 
shadow  ?  Is  not  a  shadow  true  to  its  substance,  as  a 
mirror  gives  the  exact  image  of  a  substantial  form } 
But,"  he  continued,  "  I  will  see  if  the  setting  sun  con- 
firms what  its  rising  has  assured  me,  that  I  am  a 
TALL  man." 

The  sun  decreased,  but  our  pigmy  had  increased. 
As  the  sun  went  down,  he  placed  himself  in  the  range 


94  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

of  his  last  rays,  and  was  delighted  to  see  his  shadow 
measure  the  full  length  of  his  desire.  The  shadow 
observing  his  exultation,  said  to  him, 

"  You  have  made  your  observation,  and  have  come  to 
your  conclusion  with  your  back  to  the  sun.  The  morn- 
ing of  youth  and  the  evening  of  age  are  improper 
seasons  to  judge  correctly  of  ourselves,  and  if  you 
would  measure  yourself  by  your  shadow,  I  advise  you 
to  make  the  experiment  at  noon!' 

Moral. 
Great  shadows  are  not  proof  of  great  men. 

THE    SWORD    AND    PLOUGH. 

"  Our  fields  of  labor  are  very  different,"  said  the 
sword  to  the  plough.  "  M,ine  is  a  field  of  glory,  and 
yours  of  ground." 

"  Mine  is  a  field  of  bread,  and  yours  of  blood," 
answered  the  plough. 

"  I  am  not  surprised,"  added  the  sword,  "  that  any 
man  putting  his  hand  to  you  should  look  back  rather 
than  look  on  so  unsightly  a  thing." 

"  If  men  put  their  hands  to  you,  they  will  perish  by 
you,"  returned  the  plough. 

"  I  was  set  to  guard  the  tree  of  life,"  quoth  the  sword. 

"  And  found  to  be  unto  death,"  retorted  the  plough. 

"  The  old  serpent   crawls  on  the  ground,  and   you 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  95 

creep  below  it,''  said  the  sword.     "  You  cut  what  God 
hath  cursed, — the  ground." 

"  I  cure  what  is  cursed,"  replied  the  plough,  "  while 
you  are  a  curse  to  what  is  cured." 

"  I  am  for  Fame  !  "  exclaimed  the  sword. 

"  No,  you  are  for  Famine,"  answered  the  plough, 
"  and  you  have  been  ordered  back  to  your  sheath  by  the 
highest  authority."     Matt.  xxvi.  52. 

The  sword  reddened  with  rage,  as  often  heretofore, 
when  the  point  said  to  the  hilt,  "  We  are  beaten  by  a 
ploughshare,  and  the  time  cometh  when  we  shall  be 
beaten  into  one." 

Moral. 

Men  prefer  the  field  of  carnage  to  the  field  of  herbage, 
and  decorate  the  sword  with  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones  ;  but  rectify  men's  hearts,  and  they  will  sheathe 
the  sword  with  Washington  and  take  the  plow  with 
Cincinnatus. 

THE    MEN    AND    THE    GRAPES. 

Two  hunters,  having  had  hunters'  luck,  were  in  need 
of  something  to  eat.  Espying  some  grapes  which 
hung  beyond  their  reach,  they  were  perplexed  how  to 
obtain  them.  At  length  they  hit  upon  the  following 
expedient:  the  heavier  man  of  the  two  stood  under  the 
vine,  and  the  lighter,  by  mounting  and  standing  upon 


96  MEAIORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

the  shoulders  of  his  comrade,  could  reach  and  secure 
them. 

The  elevated  man  could  now  reach  what  he  never 
could  by  his  own  height.  Having  secured  the  fruit,  he 
refused  a  share  to  him  whose  shoulders  had  borne  him, 
but  claimed  the  whole  because  he  had  gathered  the 
whole.  They  parted,  one  had  the  grapes  and  the  other 
had  nothing. 

A  crow,  perched  upon  a  tree  hard  by,  croaked,  "You 
have  lost  both  friend  and  fruit." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  man,  "  I  could  bear  his  weight 
better  than  his  ingratitude." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  crow,  "  from  this  your  trial  you 
may  draw  the  following 

Moral: 

He  that  holds  another  upon  his  shoulders  may 
expect  to  be  trodden  down  by  him ;  for  the  one  thus 
upheld  can  see  farther  and  reach  higher  than  he  who 
bears  him. 

THE    SEASONS. 

The  seasons  concluded  to  unite  their  influence  and 
combine  their  temperature  so  as  to  soften  the  rigors 
of  winter  and  allay  the  heat  of  summer.  To  establish 
and  maintain  a  uniformity,  it  was  suggested  that  old 
Mr.  December  should  wed  the  blooming  Madam  May, 
as  there  should  be  a  union  of  months  in  order  to  blend 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  97 

the  seasons.  Her  ladyship,  having  been  assured  that 
he  could  not  live  over  a  month,  consented  to  an  inter- 
view. 

The  old  gentleman,  bold  as  he  was  bald,  threw  on 
his  mantle  of  snow,  and  bidding  his  faithful  servant, 
North  Wind,  to  back  him  up,  took  his  icicle  cane, 
sparkling  with  diamonds,  and  commenced  a  matrimo- 
nial tour.  "  My  long  evenings  will  be  favorable  to 
such  a  negotiation,"  thought  he. 

He  found  Madam  May  reclining  on  a  grassy  bank, 
clad  in  a  green  robe,  and  holding  in  her  hand  a  half- 
opened  rose.  On  his  approach  she  was  a  little  dis- 
turbed on  seeing  him  attended  by  his  two  sons,  yack 
Frost  and  Snow-ball.  As  a  preliminary,  and  to  ensure 
his  own  success,  he  offered  his  eldest  son,  yack  Frost, 
to  her  daughter,  Mary  Gold.  He  likewise  proposed 
his  other  son,  Snoiv-ball,  to  her  second  daughter, 
Snow-drop.  Rose,  her  third  daughter,  blushed  a 
little,  but  envied  not  her  sisters  their  lovers. 

Here  they  were  interrupted  by  Officer  Leap  Year, 
who  held  an  office  once  in  four  years.  He  informed 
them  that  the  whole  proceeding  was  illegal,  and  read 
the  law :  "  While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed-time  and 
harvest,  cold  ajid  heat,  Summer  and  Winter,  day  and 
night,  shall  not  cease."  He  remarked  that  such  mar- 
riages were  never  made  in  Heaven,  and  could  not  be 
ratified  on  earth  ;  they  would  be  unequally  yoked. 
13 


98  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

But  Madam  May  caught  a  terrible  cold  from  the  old 
gentleman,  and  has  been  subject  to  chills  ever  since, 
while  he  imbibed  so  much  of  her  mild  temperature  that 
the  rosemary  has  been  known  to  bloom  in  his  breath. 

THE    ICE    AND    THE    SNOW. 

"  You  are  as  white  as  a  sheet,"  said  the  ice  to  the 
snow  ;  "  and  you  are  falling  ;  are  you  faint  ?  " 

"  My  fall  is  noiseless,  as  my  flakes  are  harmless," 
replied  the  snow. 

"I  think  you  lack  firmness,"  rejoined  the  ice  ;  "and 
more  solidity  of  character  would  render  you  less  the 
sport  of  wintry  winds." 

"  We  have  more  to  fear  from  the  sun  than  from  the 
wind,"  responded  the  snow. 

"  Indeed,"  replied  the  ice,  "  I  should  pity  your  weak- 
ness on  the  approach  of  such  a  foe." 

"  I  shall  commend  myself  to  his  mercy  by  my  white- 
ness and  purity,"  meekly  returned  the  snow. 

"  I  shall  resist  his  power  by  my  hardness  and  firm- 
ness," observed  the  ice. 

The  sun  now  poured  his  rays  upon  our  two  cold 
friends.     The  snow  began  to  weep  and  the  ice  to  melt. 

"  Where  is  your  whiteness  and  purity  now  .'* "  asked 
the  dissolving  ice. 

"  And  where  your  hardness  and  firmness  }  "  inquired 
the  snow. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  99 

"  We  are  returning  to  water  whence  we  came,  as 
man  returns  to  dust,"  said  the  ice. 

"  Tis  not  death,  but  change,"  observed  the  snow. 

"  By  this  change  we  are  becoming  one,"  responded 
the  ice. 

"  And  seeking  the  lowest  place,"  replied  the  snow. 
"     "  We  can   now  ascend    to    Heaven,"   said    the  ice ; 
"  whereas  we  never  could  while  I  retained  my  boasted 
hardness  and  you  your  vaunted  firmness." 

Moral. 

On  this  side  of  the  grave  we  regard  Death  as  an 
enemy,  and  dread  his  approach.  Death  destroys  not 
the  man,  but  his  dependence  on  himself,  as  the  sun 
did  not  annihilate,  only  change,  the  snow  and  the  ice. 

Firmness  and  strength  cannot  resist,  nor  innocence 
and  beauty  bribe  Death. 

THE    FIRE    AND    THE    WATER. 

A  fire,  breaking  out  in  the  woods,  raged  with  great 
fury.  In  its  random  course  and  unchecked  violence  it 
spared  neither  trees  nor  fences.  It  threatened  distant 
buildings  and  laughed  at  insurance  offices.  Beasts, 
and  even  men,  feared  its  power  and  fled  at  its  approach. 

Following  the  direction  of  the  wind,  it  shaped  its 
course  towards  a  river.  It  sent  its  deputy,  the  smoke, 
to  inform  the  stream  that  its  march  lay  directly  through 


lOO  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

his  province,  and  that  he  could  have  his  choice  of  three 
things  :  First,  To  quit  his  channel  and  leave  it  entirely 
dry,  or,  Second,  To  pay  a  tribute  equal  to  the  value  of 
his  fish,  or,  Third,  Be  burned  up. 

The  river  sent  back  the  truce  with  the  answer,  "  that 
as  fire  and  water  had  never  been  known  to  agree,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  him  to  agree  to  his  proposi- 
tion." 

Enraged  at  this  response,  the  fire  seized  the  high 
grasses  and  flags  which  grew  near  the  stream,  and, 
roaring  and  crackling,  demanded  of  the  river  imme- 
diate submission  and  surrender  of  all  his  boats,  bridges, 
fish,  and  fowl. 

The  river  replied,  "  I  have  two  Banks  ;  come  to 
them,  and  you  shall  receive  a  cJieck  for  all  you  demand 
of  me." 

So  saying,  the  river  went  on,  while  the  fire  went — 
out. 

Moral. 

Many  men  boast  and  threaten,  but  never  accomplish. 

Water  always  seeks  the  lowest  place ;  fire  seeks  the 
highest.  We  have  both  in  our  organism,  and  we  need 
both  in  our  baptism. 

THE    BELL. 

A  church  bell,  proud  of  its  eminence,  dealt  more  in 
sound  than  sense.     Seeing  Christian  people,  and  even 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  loi 

the  parson,  obedient  to  its  call,  it  yNd&  puffed  up,  as  well 
as  raised  up.     It  soliloquized  as  follows  : 

"  My  elevation  is  above  pulpit  and  priest.  I  am 
useful  both  to  the  living  and  the  dead  ;  I  ring  for  the 
one  and  toll  for  the  other.  That  was  a  vile  saying  of 
the  fox,  that  I  have  more  mouth  than  brains,  more 
tongue  than  talent  ;  but  earthly-minded  animals  know 
nothing  of  the  regions  of  the  air  where  I  dwell.  I 
think  I  will  open  a  correspondence  with  the  sun  ;  he  is 
highest  in  the  heavens,  as  I  am  highest  on  the  earth. 
The  world  looks  to  him  for  heat,  and  to  me  for  hearing. 
I  heard  the  choir  sing  last  Sabbath,  and,  if  I  recollect 
right,  one  line  ran  thus  :  '  My  tongue  the  glory  of  my 
frame!  If  backbiters  and  flatterers  can  say  this  of 
tongues,  with  more  propriety  I  can  say  it  of  mine, 
which  never  told  a  lie.  A  tongue  like  mine,  free  from 
guile  and  void  of  slander,  should  be  heard  and  sJiall  be 
heard." 

The  clajDper  now  struck  with  such  violence  that  it 
cracked  the  bell.  It  was  lowered  to  the  ground,  and  a 
jury  of  inquest  brought  in  a  verdict,  ^'Ruined  and 
rendered  useless  bv  its  own  tons^ne!' 

The  epitaph  of  the  old  bell  was  the  following 

Moral. 

Here  lies  one  who  called  others  to  church,  but  never 
went  himself. 


I02  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

THE  SHEEP  AND  THE  SHEARS. 

"  I  had  rather  you  would  flee  like  a  hireling  than 
take  my  robe  like  a  robber,"  said  the  sheep  to  the 
shears. 

"  I  take  what  burdens  you  and  benefits  others,"  re- 
turned the  shears. 

"  If  I  had  two  coats  I  would  willingly  give  you  one," 
said  the  sheep. 

"  You  will  be  oppressed  with  your  old  coat  and 
blessed  with  a  new  one,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Is  not  this  fleece,  which  warms  my  flesh,  a  bless- 
ing.''" 

"  The  blessing  is  in  giving,  not  keeping  your  fleece." 

"  Winter  without  wool  among  sheep,  like  winter 
without  wood  among  men,  is  dreadful,"  exclaimed  the 
sheep. 

"  The  summer's  growth  shall  succeed  the  spring's 
gift,"  quoth  the  shears,  as  he  finished  the  work.  The 
sheep  gave  the  wool.  Summer  came  and  the  disbur- 
dened sheep  had  plenty  of  warmth.  Winter  came  and 
a  warmer  and  finer  fleece  succeeded  the  old. 

Moral. 

What  is  given  in  charity  never  tends  to  poverty,  and 
what  is  laid  out  in  giving  is  laid  up  in  heaven. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  103 

THE    NINE    DIGITS, 

The  four  ground  rules  of  Arithmetic  met  for  discus- 
sion and  debate  as  to  the  legality  of  "  carrying  one  to 
every  ten." 

Notation  addressed  the  meeting  and  said  that  he  was 
unable  to  see  the  consistency  of  carrying  one  to  each 
ten.  "What!"  he  exclaimed,  "if  I  owe  a  man  ten 
dollars  must  I  pay  eleven } " 

Numeration  replied  that  "as  we  increase  and  de- 
crease in  tenfold  proportion,  not  to  carry  to  every  ten 
would  destroy  the  principle  of  decimal  arithmetic." 

Addition  said  that  when  he  "added  a  column  of 
figures  he  always  carried  ten  to  the  ten's  place." 

Subtraction  stated  that  he  was  "  often  compelled  to 
borrow  ten,  but  always  paid  it ;"  and  Multiplication 
remarked,  "  There  are  but  nine  significant  figures.  Ten 
cannot  be  expressed  by  a  single  figure,  therefore  we 
jn?fst  carry  one  to  make  ten."  '  . 

X  being  in  the  service  of  Multiplication  was  present 
at  the  meeting,  and  requested  a  hearing  on  the  ground 
of  being  a  representative  of  ten  by  a  single  character. 

"Uncross  your  legs  and  leave  the  room,"  said  the 
moderator  ;  "  the  members  of  this  meeting  are  figures, 
not  letters  or  signs." 

Division  observed  that  in  his  operations  ten  was  of 
little  use,  and  it  was  often  cut  off  instead  of  being 
carried. 


104  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Fractions,  being  pi'esent  as  spectators,  made  some 
broken  as  well  as  vulgar  and  improper  remarks. 

Nme^  who  despised  Nought,  now  suggested  to  the 
meeting  that  Nought  was  a  character  of  no  value,  that 
he  represented  nothing,  and  ought  to  be  expelled. 

Nought,  seeing  himself  in  danger,  brought  forward  a 
resolution,  recommending  the  ancient  practice  oi  casting 
out  the  nines. 

Nine,  proud  of  being  the  highest  number,  and  know- 
ing that  if  Nought  and  Unit  should  unite  that  he  would 
be  out-numbered,  with  much  contempt  said  to  Nought, 
"  Pray,  Mr.  Nought,  consider  zvJiat  you  are, — Nothing  ! 
and  who  you  are,  separated  from  your  left-hand  figure!" 

"And  what  are  you,  Mr.  Nine,"  responded  Nought, 
"  when  separated  from  your  tail .-' " 

Moral. 
Some  men  owe  all  their  importance  to  their  property ; 
others  all  their  consequence  to  their  titles.  Others 
again  are  indebted  for  their  popularity  to  the  aid  of 
influential  friends.  Without  these,  like  the  shorn 
Sampson,  they  become  like  other  men,  or,  like  nine 
without  a  tail,  as  in  the  fable,  are  not  above  the  lowest. 

THE  CANDLE  AND  THE  SNUFFERS. 

One  evening,  a  hundred  years  ago,  a  lighted  candle 
and  a  pair  of  snuffers  were  left  alone  together  upon  the 
kitchen  table. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  105 

"  You  are  a  great  snuff -taker,"  quoth  the  candle. 

"  For  your  benefit,  not  my  own,"  repHed  the  snuffers; 
"you  are  indebted  to  me  for  much  of  your  brightness." 

"  All  you  have  you  receive  from  me,"  said  the  candle. 

'•  'Tis  no  virtue  to  give  away  what  is  worthless,"  re- 
torted the  snuffers. 

"  I  glory  not  in  giving  stuijf,  but  in  giving  light," 
responded  the  candle.  "  I  am  a  burning  and  shining 
light  ;  my  light  is  shining  before  men  and  for  their 
good  ;  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and  for  their  and 
your  benefit  I  am  burning  up." 

"No,"  replied  the  snuffers,  "you  are  burning  down.'' 

The  candle  reddened  and  flared  a  little,  but  still 
insisted  with  a  good  deal  of  warmth  that  it  was  burning 
up.    "  To  convince  you,"  it  exclaimed,  "see  my  blaze  !" 

"  The  longer  you  stand  the  shorter  you  grow,"  re- 
torted the  snuffers  ;  "  which  proves  that  you  are  burn- 
ing down." 

The  two  disputants  now  referred  the  question  to  the 
candle-stick  to  decide  whether  the  candle  was  burning 
up*  or  down.  The  candle-stick,  who  held  the  light  on 
the  subject,  said  it  was  neither  burning  up  nor  down, 
but  burning  oi^^.  While  he  was  yet  speaking,  the 
candle  went  out. 

"  There,"  said  the  umpire,  "  I  conclude  that  you  will 
yield  to  my  decision." 

"  I  care  not,"  said  the  snuffers,  "whether  it  went  up, 
14 


lo6  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

or  down,  or  out ;   it  is  enough  for  me  that  I  survive  my 

opponent." 

Moral. 

A  violent  partizan  is  satisfied  with  the  death  of  his 
rival  ;  and  most  disputes  among  mankind  are  as  trifling 
in  their  nature  as  the  debate  between  the  candle  and 
the  snuffers. 

THE    BOY    AND    THE    BRICK. 

A  boy  hearing  his  father  say  that  "  it  was  a  poor 
rule  that  would  not  work  both  ways,"  determined  to 
test  it  in  his  play.  So  setting  up  some  bricks  in  a  row, 
he  tipped  over  the  first  one,  which,  striking  the  second, 
caused  it  to  fall  on  the  third,  which  overturned  the 
fourth,  and  so  on,  until  all  the  bricks  lay  prostrate. 

"  Now,"  said  the  boy,  "  each  brick  has  knocked  down 
the  one  that  stood  next  to  it ;  I  only  tipped  one.  I  will 
begin  at  the  other  end  and  set  one  up,  and  see  if  set- 
ting up  one  will  raise  all  the  rest."  He  waited  in  vain  to 
see  them  rise.  Calling  his  father,  he  said,  "  This 
must  be  a  poor  rule,  for  it  will  not  work  both  wa*ys. 
They  knock  each  other  down,  but  will  not  raise  each 
other  up." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  father,  "  brick  and  mankind  are  alike, 
made  of  clay,  active  in  knocking  each  other  down,  but 
no  disposition  to  set  each  other  up." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  1 07 

THE    DAM    AND    THE    STREAM. 

"  Do  you  think  to  stop  me  ? "  said  the  water  to  the 
dam. 

"  I  intend  to  raise  you,"  replied  the  dam. 

"But  you  cannot  add  to  my  quantity,"  said  the 
stream. 

"  No,"  returned  the  dam,  "  but  I  collect  and  retain  a 
part  of  you  that  otherwise  would  run  away." 

•'  What  right  have  you  to  cross  my  path  t "  demanded 
the  brook.  "  I  can  bear  up  boats  and  allow  bridges, 
but  I  dislike  your  name." 

"  Shallow  water  is  easily  disturbed,"  said  the  dam ; 
"  If  I  give  you  more  depth,  you  will  be  less  irritable." 

"  Remember,"  said  the  stream,  "  I  gather  strength  by 
opposition." 

"  Try  your  strength  by  turning  the  wheel,"  replied 
the  dam. 

"I  may  tear  as  well  as  turn,"  said  the  water,  "for  I 
cannot  consent  to  be  dam'd." 

"  I  am  the  work  of  man,"  rejoined  the  dam,  "and  you 
the  work  of  God.  I  am  dead  matter,  you  a  living 
stream,  and  living  water,  like  living  faith,  is  essential  to 
works." 

"  What ! "  enquired  the  water,  "  do  men  dam  me, 
and  then  expect  me  to  bless  them  ? " 

"  Yes,"  rejoined  the  dam,  "for  among  mankind  bene- 
factors  ARE   NEVER   BENEFITED. 


io8  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

THE    PRIEST    AND    PROVIDENCE. 

A'  Priest  in  his  theological  speculations,  unable  to 
discern  the  ways  and  windings  of  Providence,  admitted 
that  clouds  and  darkness  were  round  about  him,  but 
would  not  admit  justice  and  judgment  to  be  the  habita- 
tion of  his  throne.  Providence,  taking  him  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  mountain,  bade  him  cast  his  eyes  upon  the 
valley  beneath. 

He  saw  a  mailed  warrior,  mounted  upon  a  furious 
steed.  He  alighted  and  drank  from  a  spring  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  As  he  drank,  he  lost  and  left  a 
bag  of  gold.  Soon  after,  a  young  man  in  shepherd's 
garb  came  along,  and,  finding  the  gold,  bore  it  away. 

An  old  man,  bent  in  form,  and  slow  in  pace,  now 
arrived  at  the  spring  and  sat  down  to  rest.  The 
soldier,  clad  in  armor,  missing  his  treasure,  returned  in 
haste  to  the  spring  and  accused  the  old  man  of  having 
found  and  concealed  his  lost  money.  He  solemnly 
denied  the  charge  and  protested  his  innocence  in  posi- 
tive terms,  but  the  soldier  enraged  drew  his  sword  and 
killed  the  old  man  on  the  spot. 

In  surprise  and  wonder  the  priest  exclaimed,  "  How 
couldst  thou,  O  Providence,  permit  such  a  deed  }  I 
know  the  old  man  was  innocent." 

"  You  know  but  in  part,"  replied  Providence.  "  The 
old  man   was  the  murderer  of  the  young  man's  father. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  109 

Compensation  is  the  law  of  existence.  It  must  be  the 
offence  thou  sawest  should  come,  but  woe  be  unto  the 
soldier  by  whom  the  offence  came."  4 

The  priest  was  speechless,  and  Providence,  wrapping 
himself  in  a  cloud,  disappeared. 

THE    LITIGIOUS    HENS,    OR    THE    FOX    AND    HIS    FEE. 

A  hen  having  laid  a  litter  of  eggs,  forsook  them. 
Another  hen  finding  the  nest,  adopted  the  eggs,  and 
sitting  the  usual  time,  hatched  them. 

The  former  hen  claimed  the  chickens  by  virtue  of 
having  produced  the  eggs  ;  the  latter  on  having  brought 
them  forth. 

They  were  on  the  eve  of  a  pugilistic  encounter  when 
the  cock,  who  ruled  the  roost,  told  theni  he  allowed 
cackling,  but  had  forbidden  crowing,  and  should  veto 
fighting.  He  decided  the  claimants  should  test  their 
titles  by  a  legal  trial. 

The  first  hen  indicted  the  foster-mother,  who  had 
gathered  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  the  suit  was 
brought  before  the  Goose. 

Judge  Goose,  grave  as  he  was  gray,  determining  to 
imitate  a  human  court,  impaneled  twelve  goslings  to 
compose  his  jury. 

The  parent  hen,  to  protect  her  brood  from  the  power 
of  the  usurper,  sought  for  able  counsel.  She  was 
informed  the  Fox  was  an  excellent  lawyer, — well  versed 


no  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

xxi  fowl-law,  having  dissected  a  great  many  hens-cases. 
Our  two  heroines  now  met  for  the  decision — which  of 
the  twain  was  the  true  mother  of  the  Hving  offspring. 

Judge  Goose,  in  taking  the  bench  of  justice,  shed  a 
quill  from  his  wing.  Reynard  picked  it  up  from  the 
floor  and  made  a  pen  of  it. 

Counsellor  Fox  then  demanded  of  the  court  whether 
the  pen  he  held  in  his  hand  belonged  to  himself  or  to 
the  learned  judge } 

"When  I  dropped  the  quill,"  answered  the  judge, 
"  I  had  no  care  for  it  or  demand  upon  it.  'Twould  be 
unjust  in  me  to  claim  the  pen,  which  I  never  made,  or 
the  quill,  which  to  me  was  useless,  and  which  I  cast  off 
as  worthless." 

"  By  giving  us  the  quill,  you  give  the  question," 
said  the  lawyer.  "  If  the  judge  on  the  bench  declares 
he  has  no  lawful  right  to  the  pen,  although  wrought 
from  a  quill  once  in  his  own  pinion,  pray  what  legal 
claim  has  the  plaintiff  to  this  brood  .''  My  client  found 
the  eggs  as  I  found  the  quill — cast  off  and  left  exposed, 
and  she  has  given  them  birth  and  breath,  and  if  this  is 
my  pen  those  are  her  progeny." 

The  jury  returned  a  verdict  in  favor  of  .the  defendant. 

"What  is  your  bill.-'"  enquired  the  successful  hen. 

"  My  bill .''  "  quoth  the  Fox,  "  your  brood  !  " 

."  I  mean  your  fee  !  "  said  the  terrified  hen. 

"  My  fee  .'' "  echoed  the  Fox,  "  your  family." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  in 

"  You  have  gained  your  case,  I  understand,"  said  a 
neighboring  fowl.  "  Yes,"  repHed  the  other,  "  but  in 
gaining  one  case  I  have  lost  twelve  chickens." 

j|@="  A  Lawyer  s  fee  is  equal  to  the  oppressor  s  demand. 
See  Matt.  v.  40. 

THE  BRITISH  LION  AND  AMERICAN  EAGLE. 

An  American  armed  ship  and  an  English  man-of- 
war  were  anchored  side  by  side. 

The  spread  eagle,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  portrayed 
upon  the  flag  was  flying  at  the  mast-head  of  the  Yankee 
vessel. 

The  British  ensign  displayed  her  national  colors — 
the  lion  and  the  crown. 

When  they  first  saw  each  other,  the  lion  shook  his 
mane  ;  upon  which  the  Columbian  eagle  shot  a  lightning 
glance. 

"  Remember  the  roused  lion  can  roar  and  rend," 
quoth  Leo. 

"  The  eagle  is  Ball'd,"  returned  Aquila. 

"  I  see  your  balls  and  bombs  are  in  readiness,"  said 
the  lion. 

"  What  you  call  balls  and  bombs  are  stars,  represent- 
ing states,"  replied  the  eagle. 

"  Yes,  stars  fallen  !  fallen  from  the  British  crown," 
ejaculated  the  lion. 


112  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

"No,"  rejoined  the  eagle,  "they  are  held  in  the  right 
of  Him  who  is  greater  than  Washington." 

"  I  see  you  still  carry  the  stripes  you  received  in 
chastisement  for  your  rebellion,"  remarked  the  lion. 

"  By  these  stripes  we  are  healed,"  said  the  eagle. 

"  Healed  of  what  ? "  enquired  the  lion. 

"  Of  a  King's-evil,"  answered  the  eagle  ;  "and  since 
our  cure  we  have  had  a  good  Constitution." 

"  We  are  convinced  of  the  strength  of  your  Consti- 
tution," said  the  lion  ;  "  we  felt  it  in  the  destruction 
of  one  of  our  h^'sX frigates" 

"  Can  you  inform  me,"  interrogated  the  eagle,  "  what 
our  chaplains  mean  when  they  allude  to  a  way  which 
the  eagle  s  eye  never  saw,  and  the  lioii  s  whelp  never 
trod  > " 

"  'Tis  the  way  of  peace,— tho.  gospel,"  quoth  the  lion  ; 
"  which  if  my  nation  knew  they  would  not  have  chosen 
an  imclean  beast  for  their  national  escutcheon,  nor  would 
yours  select  an  unclean  bird.  Our  nations  have  chosen 
what  God  rejected." 

"Ah!"  said  the  eagle,  "  when  plowshares  take  the 
place  of  swords,  a  lamb  will  take  your  place,  and  a  dove 
will  occupy  mine." 

the  envied  tree. 

A  stately  oak  of  towering  height  stood  among  the 
trees,  the  pride  and  monarch  of  the  forest.     His  neigh- 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  113 

bors  observed  with  uneasiness  that  some  of  his  branches 
were  larger  than  their  bodies.  They  noticed,  too,  that 
the  morning  sun  illumined  his  top  with  its  earliest 
beams,  and  his  evening  rays  lingered  on  him  when  lost 
to  them.  They  saw  that  the  king  of  birds  sometimes 
settled  on  his  boughs,  but  never  on  theirs. 

While  they  looked  up  to  him,  they  could  see  he 
looked  down  on  them.  The  disaffected  trees  met  in 
private  conclave,  and  the  meeting  was  addressed  by  a 
DvvARF-PiNE.  He  set  forth  in  his  speech  that  the 
great  oak  was  a  cruel  tyrant.  "  His  roots,"  continued 
he,  "  spread  far  and  wide,  absorbing  the  strength  of  the 
soil,  and  robbing  us  of  the  moisture  and  nourishment 
which  our  life  requires  and  our  growth  demands." 

He  was  succeeded  by  a  leafless  Hemlock.  "  'Tis 
impossible  for  us  to  flourish  in  the  shade,"  quoth  the 
hemlock ;  "  we  are  deprived  the  benefit  of  sun  and 
showers,  being  overtopped  by  an  overgrown  nuisance." 

The  Dog -WOOD  growled,  "  Cut  him  down  ;  he's  a 
cumberer  of  the  ground." 

An  old  Hickory  said,  "  I  am  opposed  to  monopoly. 
Now,  true  church  or  state  policy  looks  to  the  good  of 
posterity.  If  the  acorns  of  this  colossal  tree  take  root 
and  become  anything  like  the  parent  stock,  our  race 
must  become  extinct." 

They  made  a  contribution  of  walnuts,  chestnuts,  but- 
ternuts, etc.,  and  voted  the  avails  of  their  liberality  to 
IS 


114  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

the  chopper,  to  hew  down  the  great  tree.  The  axe  was 
now  laid  at  the  root  of  this  noble  tree, — it  fell.  When 
falling  it  was  heard  to  say,  "  Who  can  stand  before 
envy  f  It  fell  not  alone.  In  its  fall  it  crushed,  bowed, 
bent,  and  broke  its  accusers,  and  they  were  held  down 
to  the  ground  by  the  massive  trunk  and  giant  arms  of 
this  prostrate  tree. 

They  were  heard  to  say,  "  We  caused  his  downfall, 
bnt  did  not  anticipate  that  he  would  fall  on  usT 

"  Come  hither,  son,"  said  a  wise  father  to  his  boy  ; 
"  look  at  this  fallen  tree  ;  'twas  once  above  all  the 
surrounding  trees."  "  'Tis  above  them  now,  father," 
responded  the  boy,  "  for  they  are  still  beneath  it." 

"  True,  son,"  said  the  father;  "  genuine  ^;r(5:/;/^j.s- is 
always  superior,  whether  in  prosperity  or  adversity." 

THE    FIVE    SENSES. 

The  five  senses — seeing,  hearing,  tasting,  feeling,  and 
smelling — appointed  a  meeting  for  discussion  and  de- 
bate. They  held  their  caucus  in  the  cranium,  near  the 
"bump"  of  self-esteem. 

They  decided  that  the  animal  was  superior  to  the 
7noral  nature  of  man.  They  unanimously  concluded 
that  man's  happiness  and  enjoyment  consisted  not  in 
mental  but  in  sensual  exercise. 

They  resolved  to  remove  the  seat  of  government 
from  the  brain  to  the  palate.     They  determined  that  the 


kEV.  GEORGE  J5.  AT  WELL,  115 

faculties,    Reason,    Judgment,   Will,    Memory,   and 
Conscience  should  be  obedient  to  \k\&  passions. 

Flesh,  and  blood,  and  indeed  the  whole  outward  man 
went  for  the  new  administration.  The  Body,  claiming 
preeminence,  was  bloated  with  importance,  from  a  doc- 
trine promulgated  that  man  had  no  Soiil,  that  the  doc- 
trine of  the  SOLAR  SYSTEM  was  false,  that  the  Spirit 
without  the  body  was  dead. 

The  sedition  produced  a  warring  among  the  members. 

This  war  between  flesh  and  spirit,  like  that  of  Michael 
and  the  Dragon,  was  long  and  doubtful. 

The  understanding  tried  to  mediate  between  the  bel- 
ligerents* He  darkened  counsel,  being  biased  by  a 
very  influential  man  whose  name  was  Heart.  This 
Heart  was  deceitful  and  wicked,  and  was  the  instigator 
of  the  war.  The  voice  of  reason  and  conscience  was 
neither  quick  nor  powerful,  and  like  the  voice  of  the 
Baptist  was  silenced.  '  Twas  not  the  word.  The  con- 
test was  decided  by  the  sword.  The  hidden  man 
{Heart)  was  pricked.  Although  but  a  prick,  the  wound 
was  mortal.  It  discharged  much  corruption.  'Twas 
taken  away  ;  the  old,  dead  man  put  off  and  a  neiv  man 
took  his  place.  No  more  like  the  first  than  flesh  is  like 
a  stone.  Peace  followed,  and  order  was  established. 
Under  the  new  dispensation,  old  things  having  passed 
away,  each  power  and  faculty  had  their  appropriate 
work  assigned  them. 


Ii6  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OP 

The  five  senses,  under  the  supervision  of  the  under- 
standing— now  enlightened — were  to  attend  to  external 
things.  The  faculties  were  to  direct  in  rational  and 
intellectual  things.  The  graces  which  were  added  with 
the  new  heart  were  to  be  exercised  on  divine  things. 
With  this  new  nature,  produced  by  a  new  birth,  was 
given  a  new  name,  which  had  its  origin  at  Antioch. 

woman's  rights. 

Two  vowels,  U  and  /,  meeting  in  a  word,  quarreled. 
Neither  was  willing  to  be  silent,  and  it  was  evident 
only  one  could  be  sounded.  U  called  /  an  egotist,  and 
/accused  ^of  usury  and  double  dealing,  by  which  he 
had  doubled  himself  in  W.  They  were  both  indicted 
before  A,  the  magistrate  who  presided  over  the  Alpha- 
bet.    Each  plead  his  own  case. 

/,  in  his  plea,  stated  to  the  judge  that  'twas  a  law  in 
syntax  that  /  is  the  first  person,  and  U  the  second  ; 
and  that  'twas  written  on  the  table  of  the  human  heart 
that  /is  always  the  first  person,  and  ^the  second. 

U  commenced  his  defence  by  enquiring  what  was 
meant  by  syntax  .-'  Neither  of  us  are  in  that  word.  If 
it  is  a  tax  laid  on  sin,  and  called  a  sin-tax,  /  is  in  it,  for 
you  will  always  find  /  in  sin.  My  opponent,  continued 
U,  cites  the  law  of  the  human  heart,  in  proof  of  his 
position  that  /  is  the  first  person  and  U  the  second  ; 
but  does  he  not  know  that  the  whole  heart,  with  its 


kEV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  il^ 

entire  code,  must  be  revised,  corrected,  and  changed  ? 
But  "  I  hope,"  said  U,  "  the  judge,  in  his  decision,  will 
be  no  respecter  of  persons!' 

A  advised  the  parties  to  call  in  the  third  persons,  and 
submit  the  question  to  them.  To  this  they  agreed, 
and  He,  She,  and  It  were  called.  A  expressed  a  hope 
that  they  would  now  agree  in  gender,  number,  person, 
and  case. 

It,  the  last  and  least,  was  challenged  off,  because  of 
his  neutrality.  But  He  and  She  could  agree  no  better 
than  Z7and  /.  Although  the  twain  were  of  one  flesh, 
they  were  not  of  one  spirit. 

He,  being  masculine,  did  not  like  to  associate  upon 
the  bench  with  a  feminine  judge.  But  She  claimed  her 
right  on  the  ground  of  equality.  "  We  are  one,"  quoth 
she,  "  in  the  same  person — both  of  us  in  the  third  per- 
son ;  but  don  t  think  of  crowding  me  into  the  fourth." 

The  litigation  between  t^and  /was  left  undecided; 
and  in  the  mean  time,  great  /  instructed  little  i  to  look 
up  to  his  dot,  which,  like  a  star,  was  placed  above  him  ; 
"and  when  you  rise  high  enough  to  reach  your  dot, 
you  will  be  like  myself,  a  capital  /." 

"  What  is  my  dot  for  ? "  inquired  little  i. 

"  It  represents  an  eye,  my  son;  and  you  must  always 
remember  nothing  can  see  but  an  /." 

She  took  in  high  dudgeon  the  question  of  her  right 
and  qualification  to  the  bench,  and  determined  from 


ItS  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OE 

the  pulpit  to  appeal  to  the  people.  With  power  and 
effect  she  set  forth  the  scriptural  fact  of  the  unity  and 
oneness  of  the  male  and  female,  and  raising  her  voice 
to  a  masculine  pitch,  exclaimed,  "  Let  not  man  put 
THEM  ASUNDER ;"  enforcing  and  strengthening  her 
argument  by  saying,  "  when  clothes  were  first  made 
and  worn,  He  and  She  were  dressed  precisely  alike  ; 
and  in  Eden's  bloom,  Eve  was  a  Bloomer." 

The  weaker  vessels  began  to  gather  up  their  strength, 
and  became  clamorous  and  vociferous  for  their  rights. 

He,  of  the  third  person,  said  'twas  the  popular  belief 
that  woman  was  taken  out  of  man's  side,  but  he  rather 
questioned  her  being  made  of  man's  rib,  for  she  gave 
more  proof  of  being  made  of  his  jaw,  and  he  thought  it. 

Im-moral 
For  the  woman  to  usurp  authority  over  the  man. 

LAME    AND    LAZY. 

Two  beggars,  Lame  and  Lazy,  were  in  want  of 
bread.  One  leaned  on  his  crutch,  the  other  reclined 
on  his  couch. 

Lame  called  on  Charity  and  humbly  asked  for  a 
cracker.     Instead  of  a  cracker  he  received  a  loaf. 

Lazy,  seeing  the  gift  of  Charity,  exclaimed,  "  What ! 
ask  a  cracker  and  receive  a  loaf  .-^  Well,  I  will  ask  for 
a  loaf,  and  I  shall  expect  a  load  of  bread ;  or,  if  I  ask  a 
biscuit,  she  will  give  me  a  batch  of  bread." 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  119 

Lazy  now  applied  to  Charity,  and  called  for  a  loaf  of 
bread.  "Your  demanding  a  loaf,"  said  Charity,  "proves 
you  a  loafer.  You  are  of  that  class  and  character  who 
ask  and  receive  not ;  you  ask  amiss." 

Lazy,  who  always  found  fault,  not  fortune,  and  had 
rather  whine  than  work,  complained  of  ill  treatment, 
and  even  accused  Charity  of  a  breach  of  an  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promise — Ask  and  you  shall  re- 
ceive. 

Charity  pointed  him  to  a  painting  in  her  room,  which 
presented  to  his  vision  three  personages.  Faith,  Hope, 
and  Charity.  Charity  appeared  larger  and  fairer  than 
her  sisters. 

He  noticed  her  right  hand  held  a  pot  of  honey  which 
fed  a  bee,  disabled,  having  lost  its  wings.  Her  left 
hand  was  armed  with  a  whip  to  keep  off  the  drones. 

"  Don't  understand  it,"  said  Lazy. 

Charity  replied,  "  It  means  that  Charity  feeds  the 
lame  and  flogs  the  lazy!' 

THE    BIBLE    AND    THE    LAMP. 

A  new  Bible  was  purchased  and  placed  in  a  fashiona- 
ble pulpit.  Two  elegant  lamps,  standing  at  each  end 
of  the  silken  cushion,  shed  modern  light  on  the  sacred 
book. 

One  of  the  lamps  bespoke  the  Bible  thus :  "Men 
appreciate  your  worth  ;  they  have  gilded  you  with 
gold." 


,I20  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

"  They  have  covered  me  with  £-zU,"  replied  the  Bible, 
"  but  I  am  not  guilty !' 

"  You  are  bound  in  ca/f,  I  perceive,"  said  the  lamp. 

"  Not  bo7uid,  but  often  bent  by  a  calf,"  returned  the 
Bible. 

"  You  contain  things  new  and  old,"  observed  the 
lamp  ;  "  old  truth,  and  new  tables  and  plates." 

"Alas!"  said  the  Bible,  "my  tables  contain  no  bread, 
nor  my  plates  food." 

"  You  have  been  honored  with  new  editions','  said 
the  lamp. 

"And  dishonored  by  additions"  responded  the  Bible. 

"  Why  is  the  Apocrypha  placed  between  your  Testa- 
ments .'' "  inquired  the  lamp. 

"The  Old  Testament  was  my  body,  the  New  Testa- 
ment my  soul,  which  my  author  joined,  and  men  have 
put  asunder,  making  me  a  dead  letter"  said  the  Bible. 

"Why,  I  often  hear  oi Bible  ujiion"  said  the  lamp. 

"You  hear  oi  Bible,  but  see  Church  and  State,  union  ; 
and  since  that  compact,  like  Him  who  inspired  me,  I 
have  been  between  two  thieves — one  has  robbed  me  of 
my  promises,  the.  other  of  my  threatenitigs.  Now,  the 
Church  has  but  little  faith  in  what  I  promise,  and  the 
world  less  fear  in  what  I  threaten." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  121 

RELIGION    AND    SUPERSTITION. 

Religion  and  Superstition,  traveling  different  ways, 
met.  Superstition,  having  sore  eyes,  could  not  look  on 
anything  bright,  so  she  shut  her  eyes  as  Religion 
approached.  Superstition  saluted  Religion  as  her 
friend  and  ally. 

"  I  never  knew  you,"  said  Religion. 

"Never  knew  me!"  ejaculated  Superstition.  "Why, 
in  your  name  and  for  your  cause  I  have  done  many 
wonderful  works.  The  zeal  I  have  in  your  interest 
hath  eaten  me  up.  In  you  I  have  implicit  faith,  which 
I  will  show  by  my  works." 

Superstition  now  pointed  to  a  well,  into  which  a 
yeiu  had  just  fallen.  A  Christian  came  with  a  ladder 
and  began  to  let  it  down  the  well. 

"  Nay,  nay,"  said  the  Jew,  "  'tis  the  seventh  day  ;  I 
would  not  climb  even  Jacob's  ladder  on  our  holy 
Sabbath." 

The  fiery  zeal  of  the  Israelite  was  much  cooled  by 
the  next  morning,  and  he  called  in  good  earnest  to  the 
Christian  to  bring  the  ladder. 

"  No,  God  forbid  !  "  retorted  the  Christian  ;  "  to-day 
is  ojir  Sabbath. 

"  There,"  said  Superstition,  with  an  air  of  triumph, 
"  you  see  my  power  over  Jew  and  Gentile — " 

"  The  Jew  will  suffer  rather  than  sin,  and  the  Chris- 
16 


122  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

tian  is  so  alive  to  duty  that  he's  dead  to  charity"  inter- 
rupted Religion. 

Superstition  was  speechless,  and  still  remained  sight- 
less, and  appeared  in  her  true  character — a  blind  guide. 
The  Hebrew  saw  she  not  only  led  men  i7ito  the  ditch, 
but  compelled  them  to  stay  there  ;  and  learned  that 
Superstition  would  not  save  a  man,  when  Religion 
would  relieve  a  sheep. 

The  Christian  noticed  that  Superstition  held  the 
creed  and  crucifix,  while  Religion  retained  cheerfulness 
and  charity. 

"  Religion  would  have  saved  me  a  terrible  cold,"  said 
the  Jew. 

"  We  are  both  taught,"  responded  the  Christian,  "  to 
relieve  misery  by  acts  of  mercy.  Superstition  makes 
the  day  more  than  duty,  and  Religion  makes  duty  more 
than  the  day." 

THE    BALLOON. 

A  Balloon  ascended  amid  the  shouts  and  huzzas  of 
the  gazing  multitude.  Inflated  with  air  it  arose  high, 
and  the  higher  it  soared  the  less  it  appeared.  Proud 
of  its  elevation,  and  vain  of  the  attention  of  the  rabble, 
it  looked  down  from  its  eminence  with  an  air  of  satis- 
faction and  conscious  superiority.  Despising  the  earth 
and  its  inhabitants,  and  feeling  far  above  them,  it  sought 
and  courted  the  higher  class  of  society,  the  Clouds. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  1^3 

The  Clouds  received  the  stranger  with  a  misty  look, 
and  gave  what  he  considered  a  cool  reception.  Ambi- 
tious to  associate  with  the  highest  grade,  the  Balloon 
doubted  not  that  he  should  be  able  to  reach  the  Stars 
by  Sunset,  where  his  worth  would  be  appreciated,  and 
the  honors  due  him  promptly  paid. 

Swelling  beyond  his  strength,  he  burst.  Driven  by 
the  wind  here,  and  urged  by  the  current  there,  he  found 
that  he  had  lost  everything  but  his  ballast,  and  learned 
a  new  lesson,  which  was  that  ballast  tended  dozvnward. 
He  fell  in  an  uncultivated  field  of  stones  and  bushes. 

"  I  went  up,"  said  he,  "  amid  the  cheers  and  acclama- 
tions of  thousands.  Now,  here  I  lie  in  ruins,  the  neg- 
lect and  scorn  of  my  former  admirers." 

A  gentle  breeze  whispered  as  it  passed  him,  "  Pride 
may  take  a  rise,  but  it  must  have  a  fall." 

Moral. 

'Tis  dangerous  to  fall  from  high  places,  and  difficult 
to  maintain  them. 

When  wings  are  more  than  weight,  a  man  may  rise 
without  merit,  but  he  will  fall  without  mercy. 

Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit 
before  a  fall. 

THE    SINGLE    EYE. 

A  man,  having  lost  an  eye,  greatly  bewailed  his  mis- 
fortune, and  complained  against  fate,  and  even  mur- 


124  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

mured  at  Providence.  Providence  reminded  him  that 
the  loss  of  his  eye  was  the  result  of  his  own  careless- 
ness, and  that  sorrowing  for  it  would  not  restore  the 
lost,  nor  strengthen  the  remaining  one,  and  recom- 
mended to  him  patience  and  submission. 

"  I  am  not  on  par  with  mankind  in  common,"  said 
the  man  ;  "  they  have  two  eyes  ;  I  have  but  one.  What 
can  I  do  now }  My  neighbors  have  two  eyes  to  my 
one." 

Providence  replied,  "  Double-eyed  men  often  shut 
both,  and  a  single  eye  kept  open  sees  farther  than  two 
eyes  kept  shut." 

Providence  now  stationed  the  complainer  among 
blind  men.  The  blind,  who  had  so  often  fallen  into  the 
ditch,  rejoiced  that  there  was  one  among  them  who 
could  see.  They  immediately  elected  him  as  their 
leader,  and  were  unanimous  in  their  vote  that  he  should 
be  their  only  guide. 

A  remedy  being  discovered  for  his  lost  sight,  Provi- 
dence offered  him  a  double  restoration:  ist,  sight  to 
his  eye,  and,  2d,  a  return  from  the  society  of  the  blind 
to  dwell  again  among  men  of  discernment. 

"  No,"  replied  the  man  ;  "  I  had  rather  dwell  where 
I  have  one  eye  more  than  the  common  people  than  to 
live  where  I  have  one  eye  less." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  125 

Moral. 

Men  had  rather  be  leaders  among  the  blind  than  to 
be  led  by  those  who  can  see  better  than  they. 

FATE  AND   FREE-WILL. 

Fate  declared  to  Free-will  that  all  things  were 
irrevocably  fixed  by  an  eternal  and  unalterable  decree. 
"  Yea,"  continued  Fate,  "  no  influence,  circumstance, 
or  agency  can  have  any  control  over  events  ;  nor  can 
any  power  whatever  break  a  single  link  in  the  chain  of 
decrees." 

"  Your  chain  of  decrees,"  replied  Free-will,  "  like  a 
log-chain  drawn  through  a  post-hole,  runs  not  smooth. 
It  rubs  hard  against  free-agency,  cuts  off  accountability, 
makes  man  a  machine,  and  his  Maker  a  tyrant." 

"  Volition,  will,  power  of  choice,  and  liberty  of  action, 
rest  not  on  you,  but  depend  on  me,"  said  Free-will. 

"  You  are  but  the  agent  of  my  will,"  said  Fate  ;  "still 
you  are  rightly  named  Free-will,  as  one  of  your  own 
poets  has  said,  '  Binding  nature  fast  in  fate,  left  free 
the  human  will.' " 

"We  cannot  walk  together,  we  are  not  agreed,"  said 
Free-will. 

"  But  we  cannot  separate,"  said  Fate.  "  Now,  'tis 
decreed  that  you  shall  leave  this  house." 

"'Tis  my  will  to  stay  here,"  said  Free-will. 


126  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

"  If  you  do  stay,"  said  Fate,  "  then  is  my  doctrine 
false." 

"If  I  do  not  continue  where  I  am,  in  spite  of  you. 
Fate,  then  record  my  doctrine  as  false." 

Fate,  by  the  agency  of  a  servant  in  the  house,  kindled 
such  a  fire  that  the  heat  and  smoke  so  annoyed  Free- 
will that  he  was  compelled  to  come  out,  and  so  fulfilled 
the  decree  and  prediction  of  Fate. 

"  You  have  come  out,"  said  Fate. 

"  Not  by  your  decree,"  said  Free-will ;  "  I  came  out 
from  choice." 

THE  OLD    SERPENT. 

A  serpent,  gliding  through  the  grass,  attempted  to 
make  the  acquaintance  and  test  the  contents  of  a  jug, 
or  bottle,  that  had  been  left  to  itself  and  forgotten.  In 
his  coilings  and  turnings  he  became  entangled  in  the 
handle  and  was  unable  to  extricate  himself.  He  peti- 
tioned the  jug  to  release  him  from  durance  vile. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply,  "the  Bottle  releases  no  prison- 
ers that  are  brought  into  bondage  by  Appetite!' 

Writhing  and  twisting,  he  only  found  himself  still 
more  hopelessly  fastened.  He  knew  that  his  life  must 
be  short,  and,  being  wily,  made  his  will.  He  bequeathed 
himself,  tooth  and  tail,  scale  and  skin,  to  the  jug  to 
which  he  was  now  attached.  His  head  could  reach 
the  cork,  and,  drawing  it  out,  he  deposited  his  poison 
within,  and  died. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  127 

His  children  and  servants  preserved  him  in  spirits., 
and. entombed  him  in  the  jug,  upon  which  was  inscribed 
in  letters  of  fire, 

"  The  Sepulchre  of  the  Old  Serpent." 

Moral. 

Beware  of  the  Bottle.  Ponder  the  parable  and  find 
proof  in  the  Proverbs  that  it  will  bite  like  a  serpent  and 
sting  like  an  adder. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

SEPARATION. 

In  the  year  1863,  January  19th,  Jiis  wife  died.  The 
following  memorial,  written  at  the  time,  finds  its  appro- 
priate place  in  these  sketches  : 

IN    MEMORIAM. — OUR    MOTHER. 

Died  in  Pleasant  Valley,  Conn.,  on  Monday,  January 
19th,  after  a  short  illness,  Mary  M.,  wife  of  Rev.  George 
B.  Atwell,  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 

It  is  not  long  since  the  above  paragraph  appeared  in 

the ,  to  be  read   and  passed  over  by  careless, 

stranger  eyes,  although  it  may  have  been  that  some 
other,  upon  whom  desolation  hath  come  like  a  whirl- 
wind, paused  at  the  simple  notice  with  the  thought,  "  I 
am  not  alone  in  sorrow  ;  another  home  is  made  deso- 
late ;  other  hearts,  too,  are  bleeding."  Death  is  the 
great  leveler,  the  great  subduer,  and  mutual  sorrow 
may  bring  into  sympathy  hearts  that  would  of  neces- 
sity have  remained  to  each  other  cold  and  strange. 

It  is  not  because  our  departed  one  was  so  great  or 
so  gifted  that  we  write  of  her,  that  it  has  become  so 
dear  a  pleasure  to  render  this  tribute  to  her  memory; 
17 


I30  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

it  is  because  what  remains  to  us  of  her  is  sweeter  than 
fame,  dearer  and  more  lovable  than  many  gifts,  that  a 
slight  sketch  of  her  life  has  been  deemed  not  out  of 
place.  Ever  present  with  us,  now,  is  the  memory  of 
the  gentle  ways,  the  loving  look,  the  shielding  care,  the 
cheerful,  resigned  spirit,  the  patience  under  suffering, 
the  self-denying  life,  the  tender  sympathy  in  every  joy 
and  sorrow,  and  the  countless  things  that  are  contin- 
ually springing  from  the  depths  of  a  mother's  love, 
which,  could  we  but  heed  their  full  significance,  must 
make  daily  life  almost  too  sweet  to  be  borne.  So  infi- 
nitely tender  and  infinitely  enduring  is  the  tie  that 
binds  the  child  to  the  mother,  and  the  mother  to  the 
child.  Nothing  that  is  given  us  to  know  on  earth  can 
exceed  it,  except  that  which  binds  the  Saviour  to  his 
redeemed  children. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  1787,  and,  as 
far  as  we  can  look  back  and  remember,  her  life  has 
been  a  remarkably  unselfish  one.  Her  character  must 
needs  be  called  beautiful,  because,  as  far  as  outward 
eyes  can  see,  there  was  so  little  to  blemish  it.  Retiring 
and  reserved  in  her  nature,  she  loved  the  quiet,  peace- 
ful walks  of  life,  and  it  was  here  that  her  influence  was 
felt ;  an  influence  almost  silent  and  imperceptible,  yet 
far  stronger  and  deeper  than  we  knew.  Most  precious 
to  her  surviving  family  has  been  the  testimony,  when 
one  and  another  of  the  surrounding  friends  and  neigh- 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  131 

bors  have  come  in,  and  with  trembling  lip  and  stream- 
ing eyes  have  said,  "  Oh,  she  has  been  a  mother  to  me; 
I  feel  as  if  I  could  not  have  it  so!"  or,  "  I  feel  that  I 
have  lost  a  friend  indeed  ;  it  seems  as  if  she  could  not 
be  spared." 

It  is  also  strongly  characteristic  of  her  that  so  many 
of  her  works  should  not  become  visible  until  after  her 
death.  Here,  we  find,  was  an  important  work  all  fin- 
ished, and  in  its  right  time,  but  how  or  when  we  do 
not  know;  there,  too,  a  blessed  deed  was  done — when, 
we  cannot  tell ;  but  the  good  effects  still  live  to  speak 
to  us  of  the  angel  that  has  been  with  us,  and  almost 
unawares.  Her  manner  was  remarkably  unobtrusive, 
yet  underneath  was  a  singular  firmness  of  purpose, 
which  might  be  called  the  ruling  passion  of  her  life  ;  a 
something  calm  and  steadfast  as  the  mountains,  by 
which  every  plan  was  carried  out,  regardless  of  obsta- 
cles, and  every  work  which  her  hand  was  set  to  do 
accomplished,  almost  imperceptibly,  yet  most  faith- 
fully— the  plan  and  the  work,  in  the  meantime,  relating 
not  to  herself,  but  always  for  some  one  in  the  circle  of 
those  she  loved. 

Her  unselfishness  and  habitual  singleness  of  thought 
and  action  made  her  a  natural  peace-maker.  Slander 
and  calumny  seemed  never  to  hurt  her ;  they  could  not 
penetrate  the  atmosphere  in  which  she  lived,  but  would 
fall  at  her  feet  as  harmless  as  drops  of  summer  rain. 


132  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Her  Christian  walk  has  ever  been  in  keeping  with  her 
character.  Like  other  persons  of  a  reserved  nature, 
she  rarely  talked  of  her  own  experiences ;  but  those 
who  were  most  familiar  with  her  daily  life  knew  it  was 
her  religion  that  permeated  and  governed  it.  It  was 
given  her  during  her  declining  years  to  know  much  of 
physical  suffering,  and  the  uncomplaining  submission, 
patieoce,  and  fortitude  with  which  it  was  accepted  and 
borne,  are  of  the  kind  that  God  gives  only  to  his 
beloved.  So,  calm,  even,  and  peaceful,  with  a  faith 
strong  in  an  overruling  Providence,  whatever  the  ills 
that  life  might  bring,  this  true  and  gentle  friend,  this 
faithful  sister,  this  loving  and  patient  wife  and  mother, 
this  angel  of  the  household,  came  down,  at  last,  to  the 
River  of  Death.  The  heavens  opened,  the  angels 
descended,  she  was  borne  from  our  sight,  and  the 
hearts  left  behind  must  ache  and  throb  with  untold 
longings. 

And  yet,  when  we  gazed  upon  the  dear  clay,  from 
which  one  of  God's  sweetest  spirits  had  gone  back  to 
its  Giver,  we  could  not  but  feel  that  Death  is  not  all 
sorrow.  We  wish  we  could  say  to  every  one  to  whom 
the  sorrow  of  death  is  like  to  come,  that  God  will  not 
leave  you  alone  with  broken  ties  and  hearts.  He  does 
not  leave  His  children  comfortless  ;  He  comes  to  us, 
and  opens  sources  of  consolation  that  we  knew  not  of, 
and  which  to  the  mourner  are  passing  sweet. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  133 

But  oh  !  it  is  a  terrible  thing  when  Death  lays  his 
hand  upon  one  dearer  to  us  than  our  life.  It  is  a  great 
sorrow  to  look  upon  the  dead  face,  to  clasp  those  cold, 
cold  fingers,  and  to  see,  through  tearful  eyes, 

"  A  light  on  dearest  brows. 
Which  is  the  daylight  only." 

What  can  we  mortals  do,  then,  but  ask  God  to  be 
pitiful  unto  us  1  Still  more  crushing  is  the  desolation 
of  the  days  and  weeks  that  must  follow.  Ah,  what 
can  we  do,  then,  but  take  the  patience  and  the  resigna- 
tion which  the  departed  one  will  never  need  again, 
bind  it  close  unto  our  own  hearts,  and  thus  live  waiting 
for  the  reunion  that  God  will  grant  unto  His  children 
by  and  by  .?  h.  g.  a. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

AUTUMN. 

The  great  earthly  love  was  broken,  and  receiving 
and  accepting  its  lessons,  we  see  this  consecrated  life 
rounding  itself  out  into  the  fulness  and  richness  of  the 
Golden  Year.  No  longer  an  acting  pastor,  he  still 
remained  an  active  minister.  Still  he  visited  schools, 
officiated  at  funerals,  and  supplied  pulpits. 

A  friend  writes,  "  I  owe  my  first  awakening  to  a  ser- 
mon preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Atwell  upon  the  '  resurrec- 
tion,'— text,  '  I  am  a  worm.'  I  wish  I  might  see  it  in 
print." 

Only  parts  of  it  have  been  preserved  entire,  which 
we  here  give : 

"  A  worm  has  no  bones,  no  hands,  no  feet,  no  wings 
to  fly,  no  fins  to  swim.  It  has  no  friends  ;  it  is  loathed 
by  all,  desired  by  none,  a  creeping,  crawling,  hated 
reptile.  IV/ij  should  any  be  ashamed  of  poor  relations  ? 
Job  said  to  the  worm.  Thou  art  my  sister,  and  to  corrup- 
tion, thou  art  my  mother.     ,     .     . 

"  All  the  strength  of  the  worm  lies  in  its  head  ;  with  it, 
it  cuts  a  path  through  the  hardest  wood.  It  lives  with- 
out voice  and  dies   without  sound.     It  spins  its  own 


136  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

shroud,  makes  its  own  coffin,  and  lies  in  its  self-made 
tomb,  by  which  no  mourners  stand  and  where  no  tears 
are  shed.     .     .     . 

"  See  the  entombed  worm  in  the  little  coffin  that  we 
call  a  cocoon  !  It  seems  a  shapeless  mass  and  worthless 
matter,  yet  from  the  shroud  and  coffin  of  that  worm,  we 
reel  the  finest  silk.  In  texture,  strength,  beauty,  and 
worth,  it  surpasses  the  flexile  hemp,  the  fleecy  wool, 
and  silvery  flax,  and  the  lofty  monarch  on  the  imperial 
throne  is  proud  to  wear  the  silken  sheen,  wrought  from 
the  remains  of  a  loathsome  worm.  See  the  peerless 
queen,  with  her  jeweled  diadem  !  Her  attire  of 
pompous  state  was  spun  from  the  reptile  worm. 

"  They  divided  my  garments  among  them,  and  for  my 
vesture  did  they  cast  lots! 

"  But  can  a  worm  rise  again  }  How  shall  it  rise .'' 
In  what  body  shall  it  come  .^  Doth  God  take  care  for 
worms  .'' 

"  Why  should  it  be  thought  incredible  with  you  that 
God  should  raise  the  worms .''  You  have  seen  the 
poor,  creeping,  crawling,  loathsome  reptile,  shrouded, 
coffined,  and  entombed.  The  winter  passes,  and 
throughout  air,  earth,  and  ocean,  all  nature  quickens 
with  miraculous  new  birth.  Trees  put  on  beautiful 
robes,  and  verdant  Spring,  redolent  with  blossoms, 
presents  to  the  sun  its  loveliest  hues. 

"  What  beautiful  creature  do  we  see  perched  upon  a 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  137 

rose  ?  With  crested  head  and  brilliant  eyes,  and  wings 
sprinkled  with  gold,  it  flits,  in  exquisite  beauty,  from 
flower  to  flower.  It  has  wings,  legs,  and  feet,  and  in 
all  its  proportions  its  symmetry  is  almost  divine. 
Whence  cometh  the  beautiful  thing .?  The  Butterfly, 
admired  and  sought,  was  once  a  crawling  worm, 
loathed  and  shunned,"  etc. 

The  following  incident  comes  from  Cornwall  Hollow, 
Connecticut. 

"  I  remember  the  first  time  that  I  saw  Mr.  Atwell. 
I  was  a  young  man,  and  had  just  come  into  possession  of 
the  first  colt  I  ever  owned.  I  had  heard  much  of  him, 
and  concluded  to  ride  horseback  to  the  Baptist  church 
and  hear  him  preach.  Arriving  very  early,  I  hitched 
my  horse,  and,  to  while  away  my  time,  went  for  a  walk. 
When  I  returned,  the  colt  was  missing.  It  was  at  a 
point  where  the  roads  met,  and  I  was  at  a  loss  as  to 
which  to  take  in  search  of  him,  when  the  next  moment 
the  animaT  appeared,  headed  towards  the  church, 
guided  by  a  ministerial  looking  man,  sitting  bolt 
upright  on  his  back.  '  That's  the  minister,'  said  one, 
and  so  it  proved.  He  had  started  to  walk  to  the 
church,  and  meeting  the  runaway  horse,  caught  him, 
leaped  upon  his  back,  and  delivered  him  safely  to  the 
owner." 

In  1866,  the  Baptist  church  was  removed  from 
Pleasant  Valley  and  located  in   New  Hartford,  but  Mr. 


138  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Atwell  did  not  forsake  it.  He  identified  himself  with 
its  interests,  and  "  Father  Atwell,"  with  his  white-faced 
"  Chuck,"  will  long  be  remembered  in  the  vicinity,  for 
his  regular  Sunday  morning  pilgrimages  between 
Pleasant  Vallev  and  New  Hartford.  To  the  church,  he 
was  a  Father  in  Israel,  a  pastor  of  pastors,  and  the 
memory  of  him  is  blessed  in  the  hospitable  homes,  where 
from  week  to  week  he  was  so  kindly  and  lovingly 
welcomed. 

About  this  time,  he  was  aware  of  indications  of  a 
certain  disease  of  the  heart,  in  connection  with  which 
a  physiological  fact  is  worth  the  noting.  It  now 
became  with  him  a  daily  study  to  so  control  this 
"balance-wheel  of  his  constitution,"  that  the  natural 
harmony  of  his  mental  conditions  might  continue,  and 
the  use  of  his  faculties  be  retained  to  the  close  of  his 
life.  From  this  time  forth,  we  see  him  "  walking 
softly,"  day  by  day,  as  if  in  the  light  of  another  world  ; 
husbanding  physical  and  intellectual  strength,  testing 
his  own  theories  by  counterbalancing  out-of-door  labor 
with  mental  exercise  of  reading  and  writing.  He  would 
say,  "  If  I  would  escape  dotage,  I  must  keep  my  mental 
faculties  bright  by  use.  As  soon  as  I  give  up,  I  am 
gone.  Not  that  I  fear  death,  but  it  is  everyone's  right 
and  duty  to  live  as  long  as  they  can." 

He  read  extensively,  and  kept  up  with  the  activities 
of  the  times.     He  preached  occasionally,  wrote  much, 


J^EV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  139 

was  an  interesting  talker,  and  his  utterances  seemed  to 
gain  rather  than  lose  in  freshness  of  thought. 

While  on  a  visit  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  he 
attended  an  African  church,  and  being  requested  to 
speak,  he  delighted  the  dark-faced  audience  by  the 
following  allusion: 

"  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  all  took  a  part  in  the 
crucifixion  of  Christ.  Noah  gave  those  three  divisions 
to  his  three  sons,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth.  To 
Shem  he  gave  Asia,  to  Japheth  he  gave  Europe,  to 
Ham  he  gave  Africa. 

"  The  Jews  took  their  origin  from  Shem  ;  they  accused, 
tried,  and  condemned  Christ.  The  Romans  or  Gentiles 
crucified  Him.  But  what  part  did  Africa  take  in  the 
crucifixion.?  An  African  bore  the  cross  after  Jesus, 
and  the  African  race  have  borne  the  cross  ever  since'' 

When  the  late  Rev.  E.  Cushman,  then  editor  of  the 
Christian  Secretary,  was  suffering  severely  from  an 
abscess  in  his  hand,  he  received  the  following 

CONSOLATORY    EPISTLE. 

Bro.  Cushman, — You  are  maimed.  Well,  I'ni  glad 
of  it.  ...  Can  you  see  by  star  light .?  If  you  can, 
you'll  see  why  I'm  glad.  Glad,  because  you'll  have 
better  health,  by  far,  than  formerly.  That  abscess  or 
gathering,  locating  in  your  hand,  is  remote  from  your 
vitals,  drawing  the  morbid  humors  from   the  seat  of 


140  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

vitality.  For  many  months  past  your  heart  has  been 
much  better  than  your  liver.  You  must  eat  bread  by 
the  sweat  of  your  brain,  as  well  as  brow ;  you  will  find 
your  brow  cooler  and  brain  clearer  after  this  scourge 
of  SMALL  CORDS ;  for  the  tejnple  needs  cleansing. 
Sometimes  you've  been  yellow  without  and  blue  within  ; 
albeit,  the  heavens  are  oftener  blue  than  black.  In  a 
few  days  you'll  see  and  hear  the  blue  bird.  She'll  carry 
the  sky  on  her  back,  and  the  spring  in  her  song.  A 
bird  of  good  omen  to  you,  healing  in  her  wings. 

Second  reason  why  I'm  glad  :  It  brings  out  the  sym- 
pathy of  your  friends.  Sympathy  is  not  flattery.  Flat- 
tery, unlike  physic,  makes  every  one  sick  except  the 
one  who  takes  it. 

A  Christian  gains  by  his  losses ;  an  anti-Christian 
loses  by  his  gains.  Job's  friends  were  reprovers,  yours 
are  comforters.  Satan  smote  Job  with  boils,  and  he 
boiled  over.  He  has  not  smitten  you  with  boils,  but 
with  bile.  However,  when  a  pot  boils  the  scum  rises 
on  the  top  and  can  be  thrown  off. 

Paul  says,  "  I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities"  ;  why  .-'  it 
secured  him  the  sympathy  of  his  friends.  King  Asa 
was  diseased  in  his  feet.  He  sought  not  the  Lord,  but 
physicians  ;  his  sin  did  not  lie  in  consulting,  but  in 
trusting  to  them.  Halt,  lame,  blind,  leprous,  maimed 
came  to  Christ.  Doctrine. — Infirmity  brings  us  to 
Christ. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  141 

Third  reason  why  I'm  glad  :  You  can't  be  made  per- 
fect except  through  suffering.  Pleasure  and  prosperity 
and  popularity  never  did  and  never  can  work  out  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  Light 
afflictions  work  a  weight  of  good.  Such  kind  of  men 
as  John,  Job,  and  Jonah,  seemed  not  aware  that  their 
perfection  must  come  through  suffering.  Why  did 
John  doubt  Christ's  Messiahship }  why  did  Job  curse 
his  day,  and  desire  his  night  .-*  why  did  Jonah  from  the 
prince  of  Whales  fill  his  belly  with  the  east  wind  ?  He 
found  his  gourd,  not  his  God.  Impatience  was  the 
cause.  Widow  Martha  had  a  younger  sister,  Mary. 
Martha  wanted  to  feed  Christ,  Mary  wanted  Christ  to 
feed  her.  Martha  lost  her  peace  when  she  lost  her 
patience.  Nota  Bene. —  Patience  will  do  you  more  good 
than  pain  can  do  you  harm.  G.  B.  A. 

Here  is  one  of  his  contributions  to  the  Christian 
Secretary : 

MORE  EXCELLENT  NAME  THAN  THEY. 

Than  who  .'*  Than  the  angels.  Angels  charged  with 
folly  .'*  Their  folly  appears  in  their  fall.  I  would  rather 
be  a  man  than  to  be  an  angel,  for  the  following  reasons  : 

First,  they  can  never  attain  a  far  more  exceeding, 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory  ;  it  can  be  gained  only 
through  suffering.  Christ  himself  was  not  made  per- 
fect by  doing,  but  by  suffering.     "  Who  are  these,"  in- 


142  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

quired  the  interrogating  angel,  "  arrayed  in  white  robes, 
and  whence  came  they  ? "  Response — "  These  are  they 
who  came  out  of  great  tribulation."  Then  they  could 
not  be  angels,  who  know  no  tribulation  or  suffering. 

Second,  I  would  rather  be  a  man  than  an  angel,  be- 
cause angels  can  never  be  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs 
with  Christ.  Joint  heir  means  equal  heir.  What  do 
angels  know  concerning  the  cross,  having  never  borne 
it  .''  or  of  pain,  sorrow,  or  bereavement }  What  of  per- 
secution, injuries,  and  abuse.?  What  of  troubles,  trials, 
doubts,  fears,  and  foes  t  Nothing.  What  can  the 
angels  know  of  that  charity  which  suffers  long,  beareth 
all  things,  endureth  all  things,  loves  an  enemy,  prays  for 
a  foe,  and  forgives  a  mortal  antagonist  .'*  Here  is  where 
Christ  and  Christians  can  sympathize.  Angels  may 
desire  to  look  but  cannot  enter  into  it.  "  What,  know 
ye  not  that  the  saints  shall  judge  angels  .-'" 

"that  in  all  things   he  might  have  the  pre- 
eminence." 

The  Son  of  Man  came  eating  and  drinking, — in 
neither  sinning.     Here  we  see  his  preeminence. 

Moses  turned  water  to  blood.  Christ  turned  water 
to  wine. 

From  Sinai  and  Moses  was  proclaimed  the  curse  ; 
from  Olivet  and  Jesus,  blessing.  The  law  which  con- 
demns came  from  Moses.  The  gospel  which  justifies 
from  Christ. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  143 

Elijah  called  fire  from  heaven,  and  slew  an  hundred 
men.  Christ  came  not  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to 
save  them. 

Elisha  cursad  children.  Christ  took  them  into  his 
arms  and  blessed  them. 

Paul  smote  a  man  with  blindness.  Christ  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  blind. 

Peter  struck  two  persons  dead.  Christ  raised  people 
from  the  dead. 

Judas  betrayed,  Peter  denied,  and  all  forsook.  "  My 
God  !  my  God  !  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me  .'' " 

The  cock  crowed,  and  Peter  cried.  Judas  kissed  his 
Master,  and  hanged  himself. 

Christ  never  denied,  never  betrayed,  never  forsook 
one. 

Rev.  Mr.  Crocker  of  New  Hampshire,  writes  : 

"  The  first  time  I  had  the  privilege  of  meeting  with 

Father  Atwell  was  the  day  of  my  ordination It 

fell  to  his  lot  to  give  me  the  charge,  only  a  little  of 
which  I  can  repeat.  I  retain  the  general  nature,  but 
cannot  give  the  exact  language  used.  Among  other 
things,  he  wished  to  impress  upon  my  mind  that  'God 
took  Moses  from  the  water  because  He  had  a  use  for 
him  ;  and  God  took  me  from  the  water  (I  had  formerly 
been  a  sailor)  because  He  had  a  use,  he  believed,  for  me. 
He  wanted  me  to  make  much  of  the  children,  and  to 
remember  that  they  were  the  first  martyrs  under  the 


144  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Gospel  dispensation.  My  work  was  to  break  stony 
hearts  and  mend  broken  ones  ;  the  Scriptures  the  ham- 
mer to  do  the  one,  and  the  balm  with  which  to  heal  the 
latter.  Preach  nothing  up  but  Christ,  and  the  doctrine 
which  is  according  to  godliness  ;  nothing  down  but  the 
Devil,  and  whatever  is  contrary  to  sound  doctrine.  Re- 
member the  Master  rebuked  the  disciples  because  they 
returned  to  their  nets  after  he  called  them  to  be  fishers 
of  men.'  I  do  not  recall  just  the  order  of  these  things, 
but  remember  that  they  were  all  mentioned,  as  well  as 
some  sayings  contained  in  the  letter  he  afterwards 
wrote  me." 

The  following  are  taken  from  the  said  letter : 

"  Many  ministers,  like  the  moon,  give  light  but  no 
heat ;  full  of  changes,  often  eclipsed,  and  when  full 
grow  no  larger." 

"  Christ  first  bore  the  cross,  then  the  cross  bore  Him. 
He  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  and  you  know  what  he 
nailed  to  it."     Colossians  ii,  14. 

"  Pray  for,  but  never  prey  on,  your  people." 

"  Preach  the  Word  ;  many  preach  the  voice. 

"JH^^John  was  the  voice,  not  the  word.  John  had  a 
cubit  taken  from  his  stature  ;  he  decreased ;  perhaps  all 
the  Baplists  must,  for  they  have  had  no  earthly  head 
since  John  lost  his." 

When  Mr.  Atwell  was  eighty  years  old,  he  was  re- 
quested to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  venerable  Deacon 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  145 

Daniel  Deming  of  South  Colebrook.  The  appointed 
day  brought  the  most  violent  snow-storm  of  the  season. 
Braving  the  weather,  he  rode  to  Colebrook  and  officiated 
at  the  funeral.  A  few  weeks  afterward  the  following 
appeared  in  the  Christian  Secretary: 

"  DEACON    DEMING. 

"  Father  Atwell  of  Pleasant  Valley,  writes  concern- 
ing Dea.  Daniel  Deming  of  South  Colebrook,  whose 
death  at  the  age  of  87  years,  we  noticed  last  week : 

"'  He  came  to  us  from  another  generation,  and  has 
gone  up  to  a  higher,  who  are  wiser  in  their  generation 
than  the  children  of  this  world.  He  has  left  that 
which  is  better  than  precious  ointment, — a  good  name; 
and  not  unlike  ointment,  his  name  is  still  fragrant. 
Mary's  ointment  was  very  precious,  and  purchased  and 
preserved  for  her  a  good  name,  which  sheds  a  rich 
^perfume  even  unto  this  day. 

" '  Deacon  Deming  was  not  only  a  cup-bearer,  but 
a  standard-bearer,  a  cross-bearer,  and  a  for-bearer. 
Charity  taught  him  to  'bear  all  things,'  and  not  only  to 
bear  but  to  bleed.  He  was  a  veteran  Christian,  having 
embraced  Christ  (or,  more  properly,  Christ  embraced 
him)  at  the  age  of  five  years,  in  1793,  though  not  bap- 
tized until  the  year  1806.  It  has  been  a  proverbial 
saying  among  seamen  that  '  a  sailor  should  be  all  one 
as  a  piece  of  the  ship;'  and  as  Paul  once  advised  'abide 
19 


146  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

in  the  ship,'  so  Dea.  Deming  identified  himself  with 
the  church,  considering  it  as  a  unit,  a  '  body,'  whicli 
had  need  and  use  for  all  its  members.  Rain,  not  even 
from  Heaven,  could  keep  him  from  the  house  of  God, 
which  is  the  household  of  faith  ;  having  passed  a  watery- 
grave  he  had  no  fear  of  a  watery  cloud. 

" '  May  we  not  hope  that  it  will  be  with  his  mantle 
as  with  that  of  Elijah  .''  What  though  it  fell .-'  It  arose 
again,  unrent,  untorn,  and  old  Jordan  owned  its  power.'" 

Mr.  Atwell  enjoyed  letter-writing,  and  had  many 
correspondents,  which,  no  doubt,  helped  to  keep  his 
mind  active,  and  his  thoughts  fresh.  An  extract  from 
a  letter  that  he  received  from  the  late  Hon.  Francis 
Gillette  embodies  a  bit  of  history  : 

"  When  you  remarked  that  God  had  been  my  guard- 
ian and  helper  else  I  had  been  slain,  your  words  brought 
vividly  before  me  a  night-scene  in  the  Senate  twenty 
years  ago.  As  I  was  speaking  for  truth  and  freedom,, 
the  slave  lordlings  gathered  around  me,  scowling  wrath 
and  defiance.  They  tried  to  brow-beat  and  intimidate 
me  to  silence,  but  I  kept  on,  nothing  daunted,  feeling 
mighty  girdings  around  me,  when  one  of  the  pack,  with 
secret  weapons  on  his  person,  as  I  had  every  reason  to 
think,  confronted  me  for  a  moment,  then  rushed  by, 
brushing  hard  against  my  side,  his  purpose  plainly 
being  to  provoke  resistance  that  he  might  have  a  pre- 
text for  stabbing  me.  He  was  one  of  the  ugliest  and 
maddest  of  the  fire-eaters,  C.  C.  Clay  of  Alabama. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  147 

"  It  was  a  night  of  great  excitement ;  several  senators 
were  more  or  less  intoxicated,  and  I  did  not  realize  the 
danger  I  was  in. 

"  It  has  been  unaccountable  to  me  ever  since  how  I 
escaped,  on  any  other  principle  than  the  one  which 
your  kind  words  suggested,  and  the  same  that  David 
recognized  when  he  said  :  '  //  is  God  that  avengeth  me. 
He  delivereth  me  from  mine  enemies.  Thou  hast  deliv- 
ered me  from  the  violent  man! 

"  I  have  a  pamphlet  copy  of  the  speech  given  on  that, 
to  me,  ever  memorable  occasion,  which  I  will  loan  you, 
should  you  desire  it.  Some  day  it  may  come  to  be 
regarded  as  a  curiosity  in  Congressional  literature. 

"  Concerning  my  dear  father,  of  whom  you  desired 
some  reminiscences,  or  sketches,  I  remember  my 
mother's  telling  me  that  he  began  to  preach  when  17 
years  old,  greatly  to  the  displeasure  and  stern  opposi- 
tion of  his  father,  then  a  Congregational  deacon,  inso- 
much he  would  not  hear  him.  Finally,  he  was  per- 
suaded to  go  and  hear  the  persistent  boy,  and  was  so 
surprised  and  convinced  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
upon  him,  that  his  opposition  was  turned  to  thankful- 
ness for  such  a  son,  on  whom  he  bestowed  his  fatherly 
blessing  and  a  hearty  Godspeed. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  most  iilially  yours, 

"  Fra^  Gillette. 

"  Hartford,  Dec.  20,  '75-" 


'148  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OE 

The  following  messages  may  not  be  without  interest 
to  those  for  whom  they  were  written  : 

LETTER    TO    POOR    MINISTERS. 

You  are  poor,  but  you  have  a  rich  Father.  Be  at 
peace  with  poverty ;  it  is  your  protector  from  beggars 
and  burglars  ;  it  is  a  great  abater  of  taxes,  and  an 
attracter  of  sympathies.  '  It  is  the  parent  of  economy, 
and  a  great  promoter  of  industry. 

The  priests  of  yore  were  allowed  no  inheritance 
among  the  brethren.  Do  you  say  "  that  was  under  the 
law"?  Look  at  your  High  Priest  in  the  Gospel! 
What  though  He  was  often  with  the  rich  in  His  life, 
in  His  death  He  was  not  of  the  rich. 

He  made  His  will,  and  in  the  codicil  He  left  you  a 
legacy.  His  will  is  brief,  as  is  His  prayer ;  neverthe- 
less, 'tis  the  Lord's  Will. 

Christ's  will. 

1st.  His  soul  He  bequeathed  to  God.  2d.  His  body 
He  gave  to  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  3d.  His  back  He 
gave  to  the  smiters.  4th.  His  clothes  to  the  soldiers. 
Now  comes  your  legacy.  "  Peace  be  unto  you.  My 
peace  I  give  unto  you.     My  peace  I  leave  with  you." 

Peace  is  a  pearl  of  great  price.  Peace  and  patience 
are  twin  graces.  In  your  patience,  you  may  possess 
your  soul ;  but  in  your  impatience,  Satan  possesses  it. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  149 

Yonr  poverty  has  one  ^Qcn\\3.r  property.  Providence 
is  visible  in  poverty  and  tangible  in  adversity,  but 
often  totally  eclipsed  in  worldly  prosperity.  Prosperity 
is  the  promise  of  the  Old  Testament,  adversity  is  the 
promise  of  the  New. 

Wealth  has  wings  and  poverty  has  weight.  Those 
who  have  wealth  have  never  enough  ;  those  who  have 
poverty  have  enough  and  desire  no  more.  Can  riches 
give  such  entire  satisfaction  1 


LETTER    TO    OLD    MINISTERS. 

I  am  well  stricken  in  years,  and  well  straightened  in 
more  senses  than  one.  Like  a  last  year's  almanac,  I 
have  had  my  day  and  am  out  of  date.  It  is  hard  for 
me  to  put  off  the  old  man,  and  still  harder  to  put  off  the 
"  old  boy."  Solus  and  solitary,  I  muse  much,  but 
never  tamper  with  the  muses.  Striving  to  abstract  my 
mind  from  transitory  things,  I  sometimes  fall  into  a 
trance.  Balaam  did  the  same  with  his  eyes  open,  but 
could  not  see  as  well  as  his  long-eared  companion. 
Listen,  how^ever,  to  my  vision. 

I  detect  your  disease.  It  is  hereditary ;  it  will 
mature  and  prove  mortal.  It  was  entailed  to  you  from 
your  father.  He  lived  to  be  nine  and  a  third  centuries 
old,  and  died  of  the  disorder  of  which  you  are  now  in 
the  incipient  stage,  viz..  Old  Age. 

The  beauty  of  old  men  is  the  gray  head.     Prov.  xx.  29. 


150  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Those  little  silver  threads  in  your  hair  remind  you  of 
the  silver  cord.  What  though  it  may  be  loosed,  not  a 
single  silver  hair  shall  be  lost.  What  though  Elisha's 
head  was  bald,  his  heart  was  bold.  A  bald  head  may 
"go  up,"  while  a  crowned  head  must  surely  come 
down. 

Your  father  died  old,  your  Elder  Brother  young.  One 
is  the  old,  the  other  the  new  man.  You  will  soon  put 
off  the  one  and  put  on  the  other.  Having  borne  the 
image  of  the  earthly,  you  will  soon  bear  the  image  of 
the  Heavenly.  After  death  you  grow  no  older.  The 
mind  never  grows  old  and  never  dies.  Growth  implies 
youth,  and  immortality  is  youth  without  decay. 


SERMON    FOR    YOUNG    MINISTERS. 

Prayei'. 

O  Lord,  Thou  hast  committed  a  heavenly  treasure  to 
earthly  vessels.  Like  the  widow's  vessel,  'tis  kept  full, 
not  by  pouring  in,  but  by  pouring  out.  May  the  young 
shepherds  go  forth  bearing  the  crook  and  cross.  May 
they  take  no  scrip,  but  always  take  Scripture.  While 
they  bring  glad  tidings,  may  they  give  good  warnings. 
May  they  not  seek  to  feed  themselves,  but  the  sheep. 
While  they  feed  the  sheep,  may  they  fight  the  wolf. 
May  they  preach  the  word  and  practice  the  worship. 
May  they  never  fear  a  foe  or  fail  a  friend.     May  they 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  15  r 

preach  nothing  up  but  Christ,  nothing  down  but  the 
devil.     Amen. 

Note  before  Sermon. 

Young  men,  you'll  now  be  instructed,  not  by  a 
seraph,  but  by  a  serpent.  You  are  young  preachers, 
he's  an  old  one.     He's  as  wise  as  a  serpent. 

A  snake  lay  basking  in  the  sun.  In  one  of  its 
gyrations,  the  tail,  coming  nigh  unto,  thus  addressed 
the  head:  "You  have  always  gone  before  and  I 
behind.  To  equalize  our  rights,  if  you  please,  I'll  go 
forward." 

"  I'm  better  fitted,"  quoth  the  head,  "  to  lead,  than 
yourself ;  I've  the  eyes,  the  ears,  the  mouth,  and  sense 
of   smelling." 

"  'Tis  evident,"  replied  the  tail,  "  that  I  was  designed 
to  go  forward,  from  my  long  tapering  point.  Why,  my 
dear  head,  when  men  drive  nails  does  not  the  point 
go  first }  When  ladies  use  pins  and  needles,  does  not 
the  point,  not  the  head,  go  forward  .'' " 

"  Nails,  needles,  and  pins,"  answered  the  head,  "  are 
things,  not  animals.  If  I  carry  the  brain,  should  I  not 
lead .? " 

"There's  a  prophecy  that  you  shall  be  bruised," 
retorted  the  tail ;  "  against  ine  there's  no  such  threaten- 
ing ;  therefore  'twould  be  safer  for  the  body  to  follow 


152  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

me.  I  propose,"  continued  the  tail,  "  that  we  submit 
the  question  to  the  body." 

The  body,  given  to  change,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
tail,  and  concluded  that  experiment  would  show  which 
of  the  two  was  the  better  guide.  The  tail  now  assumed 
the  province  of  a  guide,  and  took  the  leadership  author- 
ized by  the  body.  The  body  moved  backward  and  the 
whole  course  was  retrograde.  The  tail,  in  attempting 
to  pass  between  two  close-standing  stubs,  and  meeting 
the  swell  of  the  body,  came  to  a  full  stop,  and  was 
immovably  fixed.  The  body,  in  pain,  convinced  they 
had  not  been  wise  as  a  serpent  in  their  late  change  of 
leaders,  now  raised  the  popular  cry  "  Go  ahead."  The 
body  was  drawn  out  with  the  loss  of  a  few  scales,  when 
the  head  interrogated  the  tail  thus  :  "  Why  did  you  go 
between  those  stubs  .''  " 

"  I  never  saw  them,"  responded  the  tail. 

"  No,  nor  felt  them,"  retorted  the  body,  "  but  we  did." 

Application. 

ist.  Be  as  wise  as  the  serpent;  id  est,  soon  as  he 
perceived  he  rectified  his  mistake. 

2d.  The  inverted  reptile  was  converted  and  met 
with  a  change  of  leaders. 

3d.  The  body  of  the  serpent  represents  the  world 
inverted.  'Tis  yours  to  turn  the  world  upside  down 
that  it  may  be  brought  right  side  up. 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  153 

4th.  When  our  passions,  not  our  faculties,  guide,  the 
blind  lead  the  blind. 

5th.  Notice,  when  the  tail  led,  the  body  went  back- 
ward.    Backsliding  is  an  omen,  yea,  an  axiom,  that  the 

head  does  not  lead. 

Octogenarian. 

Many  anecdotes  are  related  of  Mr.  Atwell,  which 
may  seem  in  themselves  unimportant,  yet  it  is  noticeable 
that  he  rarely  dropped  a  witty  saying  that  did  not 
enforce  a  truth,  and  sometimes  one  not  altogether  com- 
plimentary to  our  human  nature. 

It  is  told  of  him  that  he  went  into  a  store,  and  when 
asked  "  what  he  would  like,"  replied,  "  I  don't  know  as 
I  want  anything  ;  you'll  not  trust  me  ! " 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  will  to  any  amount." 

"  You  had  better  not,"  said  Mr.  Atwell. 

"  Why  not }  "  was  the  answer. 

"  Because  I  am  not  an  honest  man  !  " 

"  Why  are  you  not  an  honest  man  } " 

"  I  will  tell  you  why.  Suppose  that  I  go  out  on  the 
hillside  there  and  find  a  purse  of  money.  I  should,  no 
doubt,  do  all  I  could  to  find  the  owner,  but  would  there 
not  be  a  little  hope  all  the  time  that  the  owner  could 
never  be  found  ?  " 

He  was  in  the  habit  of  riding  a  great  deal,  and  seldom 

passed  an  acquaintance  without  a  few  words,  usually 

something  to  be  remembered. 
20 


154  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

A  roadside  incident  is  related  by  a  friend  who,  when 
driving  through  the  narrowest  pass  of  a  narrow  road 
between  a  mountain  and  a  river,  suddenly  came  upon 
Mr.  Atwell,  bolt  upright  upon  a  one-horse  load  of  hay. 
To  pass  each  other  and  escape  the  steep  bank  on  one 
side  and  the  rocks  on  the  other  was  a  problem  that,  for 
the  moment,  looked  doubtful  and  dangerous. 

"  The  straight  and  narrow  way  is  best ! "  said  Mr. 
Atwell,  as  the  feat  was  accomplished  by  a  hair's 
breadth. 

Another  is  well  worth  recording :  He  happened  to 
meet  an  acquaintance  who  was  fond  of  saying  sudden 
and  unexpected  things  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  the 
startled  effect  upon  the  hearers.  He  accosted  Mr. 
Atwell,  saying,  "  Elder,  why  am  I  made  with  two  eyes, 
two  ears,  and  but  one  tongue.''" 

"  That  you  may  hear  and  see  twice  as  much  as  you 
say,"  was  the  reply,  which  was  evidently  pleasantly 
appreciated  by  the  other. 

Another  relates,  "  I  once  met  Mr.  Atwell  when  I  was 
trying  to  walk  on  a  very  slippery  place,  and  he  said  to 
me,  "  There  is  no  danger  of  falling,  if  you  can  only  keep 
yoiLV  balance  !  " 

His  direct  way  of  expressing  the  whole  of  a  thought 
in  a  few  words  was  once  strikingly  illustrated  at  a  cer- 
tain funeral,  when  he  began  a  prayer,  "  Lord,  let  us  ask 
ourselves  what  we  have  done  for  the  widow ! "     The 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  155 

well-known  circumstances  of  the  event  made  this  single 
sentence  a  life  lesson  to  every  one  who  heard  it. 

A  friend  relates,  "  Mr.  Atwell  called  to  see  my 
mother  not  long  before  she  died.  As  he  was  about 
leaving  I  said  to  him,  '  Mother  fears  death,  and  suffers 
a  great  deal  from  the  dread  of  it.'  He  turned  and 
went  back  to  her  bedside  and  said  to  her,  '  Have  no 
fear  at  all,  there  is  no  need  of  that.  Did  you  know 
when  you  were  born  .-'  You  will  not  know  when  you 
die.' 

This  was  to  her  the  greatest  of  comforts." 
Mr.  Atwell's  ideas  of  death  were  expressed  in  a  letter 
to  Mrs.  S.  Emilia  Phelps,  which  was  published  in  the 
CJiristiaii  Secretary,  entitled 

NOT  A  MODEL  BUT  MODEST  SERMON. 

Man  has  fallen  foully,  not  fatally.  Man  had  rather 
be  great  than  good.  He'd  rather  be  rich  than  right- 
eous. His  love  qi  gold  is  stronger  than  his  love  of 
God.  Earth-born  and  earth-bound,  he  builds  his  house 
on  sand  and  his  castle  in  the  air.  No  man  by  going 
over  to  the  world  can  win  it.  Judas  and  Demas  tested 
it.  Satan  tempts  men  that  they  may  tempt  God. 
God's  voice  of  invitation  is  lost.  Satan's  temptation  is 
listened  to.     Selah. 

Adam  fell  by  trying  to  rise  ;  could  not  rise  but  could 
run  ;  heard  and  hid.     Adam  fell  by  eating,  Christ  stood 


156  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OI 

by  fasting.  Adam  ate,  and  Christ  must  drink.  Bitter 
cup!  Note:  nor  could  the  cup  pass,  though  Christ's 
prayer  lay  between  his  lips  and  the  cup,  no  more  than 
Joseph's  silver  cup  could  pass  Benjamin's  sack,  what 
though  he  was  the  only  guiltless  one  of  his  guilty 
brethren. 

The  arrow  of  death  is  the  only  key  that  unlocks  the 
door  of  Paradise.  No  way  into  the  world  but  by  birth, 
no  way  out  but  by  death.  We  came  into  the  world  by 
the  front  door,  i.  e.,  by  birth  ;  we  go  out  by  the  back 
door,  id  est,  by  death. 

Never  look  forward  for  death  nor  anticipate  it. 
Look  back  if  you'd  learn  what  death  is.  God  told 
Moses,  Thou  shalt  not  see  my  face  ;  thou  shalt  see 
my  back  parts  ;  my  face  thou  shalt  not  see.  We  may 
look  back  upon  the  past,  we  cannot  penetrate  the 
future.  To  understand  what  death  is,  look  back,  not 
forward. 

You  wer«  once  an  infant,  that  infapcy  died,  you  sus- 
tained no  loss ;  'twas  succeeded  by  childhood,  that 
childhood  expired,  and  youth  shone  forth  in  its  stead ; 
nor  did  youth  continue,  but  quickly  passed  and  gave 
place  for  maturity,  middle  life.  Say,  did  you  know 
when  your  infancy  passed  away  and  your  childhood 
commenced  .-*  No,  nor  does  any  one  know  when  they 
die,  any  more  than  they  now  know  the  time  when 
childhood    was    the    resurrection    from    our    defunct 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  157 

infancy,  and  youth  the  resurrection  from  our  short- 
lived childhood.  Each  state  is  progressive  and  pro- 
ductive of  its  superior.  Christians  are  slow  of  heart  to 
believe  that  Christ  has  abolished  death. 

Sleep  is  a  short  death  and  death  a  long  sleep. 
"  Lord,  if  he  sleep  he  shall  do  well "  ;  in  that  said  his 
disciples  truly.  'Twas  a  proverb  of  Menander  that  sleep 
was  a  remedy  for  all  diseases.  When  death  exists  we 
don't,  and  when  death  ends  we  don't,  was  another  pro- 
verb of  the  ancients. 

Adam's  deep  sleep  represented  death.  When  he 
awoke  it  prefigured  his  resurrection.  He  beheld  in 
Eve  his  body  resurrected,  far  more  beautiful  than  him- 
self, though  bone  of  his  bone  and  flesh  of  his  flesh. 
Though  from  the  dust,  she  was  not  made  of  it,  nor  will 
our  resurrection  body  be  made  of  dust  or  ever  return 
to  it. 

What  though  Adam  was  head.  Eve  was  the  crown 
of  that  head.  The  first  woman  was  born  of  a  man,  the 
second  Adam  was  born  of  a  woman. 

We  are  part  animal  and  part  angel,  half  dust  and 
half  deity.  God  will  take  away  the  first  that  He  may 
establish  the  second.  What  though  God  took  a  rib, 
the  man  was  not  robbed,  for  God  returned  the  bone 
boims. 

The  following  appeared  not  long  afterwards  : 


158  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

HEART. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  softening  of  the  brain  and 
hardening  of  the  heart.  Man's  heart  is  more  depraved 
than  his  understanding.  By  the  heart  is  meant  the 
soul,  and  all  its  faculties.  A  minister's  work  is  to  break 
hard  hearts  and  to  mend  broken  ones.  In  order  for 
this  he  should  preach  nothing  up  but  Christ,  nothing 
down  but  the  devil. 

Moses  wrote  his  laws  on  stone  ;  Solon  inscribed  his 
on  brass  ;  the  Medes  and  Persians  wrote  theirs  on 
iron.  The  Puritan  fathers  drafted  their  laws  on  blue 
paper,  hence  they  were  called  "  blue  laws." 

But  where,  tell  me  where,  does  Jesus  Christ  write  His 
laws  .■* 

On  the  heart.  "  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  hearts, 
and  in  their  minds  will  I  write  them."  Heb.  x,  i6. 
"  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in 
their  hearts."     Heb.  viii,  lo. 

Note :  what  the  pericardium,  zd  est,  the  heart,  is  to 
the  human  body,  so  is  the  "heart  to  the  soul.  What  the 
garden  of  Eden  was  to  the  world,  so  is  the  heart  to  the 
man.  What  the  sanctum  sanctorum  was  to  the  Temple, 
so  is  the  heart  to  man — i.  e.,  the  most  important  part. 
Before  the  heart  is  changed  it  is  the  worst  part  of  the 
man  ;  after  it  is  renewed  it  is  the  best. 

What  law  does  Christ    the  Lawgiver  write  on  the 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  159 

heart  ?  An  exceeding  broad  one,  yet  comprehended  in 
one  word,  Love,  which  fulfills  the  whole  law,  whether 
of  Sinai  or  Olivet.  The  decalogue  is  not  ten  but  one 
law.  The  four  first  verses  speak  of  our  love  to  God, 
and  the  remaining  six  of  our  duty  to  man.  Love  God 
and  your  neighbor :  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man. 

The  end  of  the  commandment  is  charity.  It  never 
fails,  never  faints,  never  fears  ;  fear  is  cast  out  when 
love  comes  in.  God  is  love,  and  charity  is  lovely.  It 
brought  God  down  to  us  in  the  person  of  His  Son,  and 
brings  us  up  to  God. 

Still  we  seldom  pray  for  it.  We  pray  for  faith — the 
disciples  did — Lord  increase  our  faith.  Lord  strengthen 
our  hope.  We  pray  for  patience,  resignation  ;  indeed 
we  pray  for  all  the  Christian  graces  except  this  the 
greatest  of  them  all.    We  seldom  ask  God  for  "love." 

The  following  sentiment  is  from  that  distinguished 
statesman  and  philosopher,  Thomas  Jefierson  :  "  Of  all 
the  systems  of  faith  which  I  have  ever  examined,  I 
hesitate  not  to  give  that  of  Jesus  Christ  decidedly  the 
preference.  Other  systems  are  based  on  the  passions 
and  on  circumstances,  but  Jesus  Christ  goes  further, — 
He  builds  on  the  hearth 

Yours  as  of  yore,  ^.  84.  g.  b.  a. 

One  of  his  puns  has  been  so  often  quoted  and  re- 


l6o  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

quoted  as  to  barely  escape  becoming  a  proverb.  While 
in  Hartford,  he  met  Rev.  Dr.  Turnbull  on  the  street, 
who  said  to  him,  "  Father  Atwell,  how  do  you  keep  so 
straight  in  your  old  age  ?" 

"Straightened  circumstances,  Brother  Turnbull !" 
Puns  came  to  him  so  naturally  that  they  sometimes 
took  shape  in  his  dreams.  One  morning  at  the  break- 
fast table  he  said,  "  I  had  a  singular  dream  last  night, 
and  one  which  I  cannot  account  for.  I  thought  I  met 
Elder  Nash  (formerly  a  Methodist  Presiding  Elder), 
and  he  said  to  me,  '  You  have  lost  all  your  teeth.'  I 
replied,  '  Take  care  of  yours  !  you'll  want  them  to  gnask 
with  when  you  get  to  a  certain  place  ! '" 

Then,  before  opening  the  Bible  for  the  usual  morning 
reading,  he  said,  "  Dreams  are  strange  phenomena. 
What  fragments  of  broken  thought,  and  what  a  train 
of  detached  ideas  float  in  the  mind  !  We  awake,  and 
'  a  change  comes  over  the  spirit  of  our  dream.'  Now, 
images  as  empty  and  visionary  haunt  our  waking  as 
well  as  our  sleeping  hours.  This  life  is  a  dream.  At 
death  the  bubble  bursts,  the  spell  is  broken,  and  all 
things  are  real  and  lasting.  God  has  connected  time 
with  eternity,  and  so  linked  the  conduct  of  life  with  our 
state  after  death,  that  all  our  thoughts,  words,  and 
actions  are  drawn  after  us.  The  tree  is  on  this  side, 
but  the  fruit  is  on  that.  Well,  have  I  preached  enough .-' 
If  you  think  I  have,  I'll  begin  to  read !" 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

FRATERNITY. 

It  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Atwell  that  he  was  a  "  born 
Mason,"  and  in  a  quaint  Httle  volume,  printed  in  1815, 
is  an  allusion  to  his  father's  experience,  which  we  give 
verbatim  : 

"  From  this  time  the  reader  will  hear  no  more  of 
Mr.  Atwell  preaching  in  the  south  part  of  Wilbraham, 
and  will  be  naturally  inclined  to  enquire  the  reason. 
We  should  be  happy  in  not  finding  it  duty  to  publish 
the  singular  cause  ;  but  it  appears  right  to  state  the 
facts.  In  this  place  the  Lord  revived  his  work  with 
mighty  power,  and  our  friend's  labors  were  greatly 
blessed  among  the  people :  great  numbers  could  nearly 
pluck  out  their  eyes  for  his  sake  ;  but  in  the  midst  of 
all  this  it  was  discovered  that  he  was  A  Free  and 
Accepted  Mason  ! ! !  This,  merely  through  ignorance, 
was  deemed  a  crime  of  no  small  magnitude  by  some, 
and  the  church  now  called  tJie  Baptist  church  in  Wilbra- 
ham and  Monson,  passed  a  particular  vote  in  the  case, 
which  barred  and  bolted  the  door  against  him,  and 
against  all  Masons.  We  would  ask  these  beloved 
21 


1 62  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

brethren  if  they  know  what  Masonry  is  ?  If  they 
answer  in  the  affirmative,  they  are  Masons  themselves  ; 
but  if  negatively,  then  how  exists  their  skill  to  discern 
a  great  evil  in  that  which  they  know  nothing  about  ? 
•  Lord,  what  is  man?  Immediately  after  this  took  place, 
the  Lord  withdrew  his  Spirit,  and  the  work  was  greatly 
on  the  decline." 

The  little  book,  after  making  note  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  lo,  1814,  alludes  to  the  funeral  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Tuesday,  12th,  his  remains  were  carried  to  the 
Presbyterian  meeting-house,  and  a  solemn  discourse 
was  delivered  by  Elder  J.  Wightman  of  West  Spring- 
field, to  a  crowded  and  much  affected  assembly.  His 
body  was  then  consigned  to  its  mother  earth  with 
masonic  honors." 

The  impressiveness  of  the  ceremonies,  combined 
with  the  force  of  his  father's  example,  moved  the  son 
in  the  freshness  of  his  sorrow  to  seek  the  nearest 
lodge,  which  was  at  East  Windsor,  and  to  be  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  "  mystic  tie."  He  was  not  an 
active  mason,  however,  until  after  he  settled  in  Pleasant 
Valley,  and  not  especially  prominent  until  the  year 
1874,  when,  by  the  kindness  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Lee,  he  was 
raised  to  the  office  of  Grand  Chaplain  of  Connecticut. 
His  installation   took  place  at  New  Haven,  June  24, 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  163 

1874,  two  weeks  previous  to  his  eighty-second  birth- 
day. 

.  Mr.  Atwell  was  naturally  social  to  the  extent  that 
genial  and  friendly  intercourse  with  others  was  abso- 
lutely a  constitutional  need.  It  inspirited  him  like  sun- 
light, and  the  gatherings  and  reunions  at  which  his 
presence  was  sought  and  pains  taken  to  secure,  were 
among  the  pleasures  and  delights  of  his  old  age,  and 
no  doubt  contributed  much  towards  sustaining  the 
flow  of  animal  spirits  upon  which  his  life  now  almost 
depended. 

Many  of  the  quaint  blessings  and  prayers  which  he 
uttered  on  different  occasions  are  preserved  in  the 
annals  of  Masonry.  At  a  Masonic  banquet  he  invoked 
a  blessing  thus  :  "  O  Lord,  Adam  fell  by  eating,  Noah 
fell  by  drinking ;  may  we  who  are  before  Thee  avoid 
the  sin  of  the  one  and  the  folly  of  the  other.  Amen." 
Another :  "  We  have  left  the  trestle-board  and  now 
surround  the  Board  of  Relief.  Save  us  from  the  lion's 
mouth,  but  may  we  never  reject  the  Lion's  paw.  Should 
any  of  our  fraternity  lack  aid,  may  they  be  enabled  to 
say,  Eureka  !  Amen."  Still  another :  "  Make  us  thank- 
ful ;  may  we  always  be  grateful  and  never  be  wasteful." 
And  another :  "  The  temple  of  Solomon  had  precious 
stones,  the  tomb  of  Jesus  had  costly  spices.  We  have 
left  the  temple  not  for  the  tomb  but  the  table,  and  while 


l64  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

we  accept  Thy  bounty  as  free  mercies,  wilt  Thou  accept 
us  as  free  masons.    Amen." 

His  last  utterance  before  the  Masonic  Fraternity  was 
a  prayer  offered  at  the  "Annual  Reunion  of  the  Masonic 
Veterans  of  Connecticut,  holden  at  Waterbury,  Conn., 
June  26,  1878."     He  was  then  eighty-five  years  old  : 

"  O  Lord  !  We  cannot  call  Thee  Father,  unless  we 
can  call  Man  our  Brother. 

"  Permit  us  to  look  from  the  depths  of  Jacob's  Well 
to  the  heights  of  Jacob's  Ladder.  Some  are  ascending' 
but  the  Veterans  before  Thee  are  descending.  They 
need  Jacob's  staff  as  well  as  his  ladder  to  aid  their 
descent.  They  may  worship  leaning  on  the  top  of  that 
staff,  but  need  the  stay  as  well  as  the  staff.  What 
though  they  may  be  bald  as  was  Elisha  ;  make  them 
bold  as  Elijah,  to  mount  his  chariot  and  be  carried  to 
the  Grand  Lodge  eternal  in  the  heavens.    Amen." 

Among  his  papers  has  been  found  a  fragment,  con- 
taining the  following  :  "  Wise  men  came  from  the  east 
in  search  of  light,  and  found  it.  They  saw  the  star  in 
the  east,  arose  and  followed,  fearing  no  danger.  We,  in 
modern  time,  walk  the  rugged  path  of  life,  traveling 
from  west  to  east,  and  meet  at  the  same  point  the  Magi 
of  old,  beneath  the  Royal  Arch,  where  sits  our  Grand 
High  Priest,  our  Worshipful  Master,  wearing  a  starry 
diadem.  While  the  Mussulman  cleaves  to  his  Alcoran 
and  the  Hindo  to  his  Shasta,  the  Mahometan  bows  to 
the  Crescent  and  the  Christian  clings  to  the  Cross,  look 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  165 

on  that  Altar  which  sanctifies  the  gift !  There  is  the 
open  Bible,  the  square  and  the  compass  ;  we  accept  the 
former  as  the  insignia  of  our  order,  and  the  latter  as  the 
ground  of  our  faith." 

Appropriate  here  seems  the  insertion  of  four  stanzas 
from  an  original  poem  recited  at  the  reunion  of  the 
Veteran  Association  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  June  25, 
1879,  two  months  after  Mr.  Atwell's  death  : 

But  a  saddened  thought  comes  o'er  me  as  these  well-remem- 
bered faces 
Range  themselves  about  our  Altar  to  revive  the  sacred  flame. 
Here  and  there  I  see  before  me  empty  chairs  and  vacant  places- 
Yet  not  vacant  quite,  my  Brothers,  for  each  bears  a  cherished 
name. 

Whisper  us,  O  risen  Atwell !— if  but  lawful  for  revealing— 
Tell  us  what  may  be  our  chances  when  the  shining  portals 
swing  ; 

As  the  glories  of  the  morning  through  the  shadows  are  unveiling, 
And  we  stand  beneath  the  Arches  of  the  Temple  of  the  King. 

For  we  walk  amid  the  darkness  of  our  nature,  blindly  groping, 
With  our  either  hand  outstretching  for  some  door\vay  to  the 
Light; 

And  we  turn  the  roughened  Ashlars  in  the  Rubbish,  fondly  hopmg 
To  find  amid  their  number  the  Key-stone  of  the  right. 

Yet  we  have  the  bright  example  of  thy  life  while  yet  among  us, 
That  will  guide  us  if  we  follow,  to  the  open  gates  above ; 

If  we  heed  thy  steady  counsel  to  forgive  the  wrongs  that  wrong  us, 
And  to  win  men  into  friendship,  by  our  Charity  and  Love. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

INDIAN   SUMMER. 

The  "  lightening  before  death  " — what  is  it  ?  Whence 
comes  the  clearness  of  vision  and  brightening  of  facul- 
ties ?  Are  waiting  angels  over  eager  to  bring  reward  ? 
Looking  back  to  the  sweet  and  gracious  ministry  of  that 
last  year,  comes  the  wonder  whether  out  of  the  depths 
of  God's  possibilities,  His  law  of  compensation  may  or 
may  not  work  to  His  beloved  a  foretaste  of  the  life 
beyond  the  vale. 

Pleasant  things  now  gathered  to  his  pathway.  Cares 
and  perplexities  were  hidden  away  from  him,  for  the 
waning  life  was  too  precious  for  aught  but  cloudless 
skies  and  peaceful  surroundings.  And  yet  sometimes 
he  knew. 

One  evening,  sitting  in  the  calm  of  the  twilight,  he 
took  the  hand  of  the  one  who  sat  beside  him,  and  said, 
"  You  are  despondent  to-night ;  you  are  heavily  bur- 
dened." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so  .''     How  do yo7i  know  ?" 

'■  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  know.  I  close  my  eyes  and 
I  feel  it  in  the  touch  of  your  hand.     Your  burden  is 


1 68  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

more  for  others  than  for  yourself,  but  it  is  not  as  bad 
as  it  seems." 

And  so  it  proved. 

A  friend  relates  the  following  incident : 

"  I  met  Mr.  Atwell  one  day  when  I  was  recovering 
from  a  long  and  dangerous  illness.  He  said  to  me,  '  I 
am  glad  you  are  feeling  so  much  better  to-day." 

"  I  replied,  '  How  do  you  know,  Elder,  that  I  am  feel- 
ing better } ' 

" '  I  know,'  said  he,  '  by  the  touch  of  your  hand.  You 
have  been  worse  off  than  any  one  knew,  and  it  will  be 
a  long  time  before  you  will  entirely  recover.  You  may 
live  to  be  an  aged  woman  before  you  will  cease  to  feel 
the  effects  of  it.' 

"This  surprised  me  much,  for  I  knew  that  he  could 
have  no  knowledge  whatever  of  what  my  condition  had 
been." 

The  clearness  of  his  mental  vision  and  growing  near- 
ness to  heavenly  things  were  plainly  evident  from  day 
to  day,  and  the  freshness  of  his  thoughts  was  remark- 
able. One  memorable  evening  in  1878  he  gave  a  dra- 
matic recital  of  the  history  of  Jacob  and  Esau,  and  the 
picture  of  Rebekah  when  Jacob  obtained  his  brother's 
blessing,  was  something  to  be  Jieard,  for  it  cannot  be 
described. 

He  was  bright  and  cheerful,  and  greatly  enjoyed 
conversation  with  neighbors  and  friends.     His  heart 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  169 

was  made  glad  by  their  appreciation,  for  he  was  beloved 
and  sought  by  the  young  as  well  as  the  old.  He  even 
departed  from  his  usual  routine  and  surprised  every  one 
by  absence  of  fatigue  after  unwonted  efforts.  He 
attended  evening  meetings  and  spoke  with  more  than 
his  usual  impressiveness,  and  upon  being  invited  to  a 
reception  on  the  evening  of  the  thirteenth  of  Decem- 
ber, at  the  elegant  home  of  some  friends  in  New  Hart- 
ford, he  desired  to  go,  and  went.  He  was  received  and 
greeted  by  all  with  kindness  and  reverent  affection,  and 
evidently  enjoyed  the  reunion. 

On  Sunday,  January  19th  (and  by  comparing  dates 
it  proved  to  be  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  his 
wife),  he  attended  church  once  more  in  New  Hartford, 
and  listened  to  a  sermon  from  the  pastor,  Rev.  R.  H. 
Bolles.  In  the  afternoon  he  accompanied  him  to  Can- 
ton to  the  usual  afternoon  service,  and  preached  by 
special  request  of  Mr.  Bolles,  who  kindly  furnishes  the 
following  description  from  memory  : 

FATHER  ATWELL'S  LAST  SERMON. 
Preached  at  Canton,  Sunday,  January  19,  1879. 

"  When  he  arose  to  preach,  he  stood  erect  and  in 
silence  for  a  moment  and  looked  over  the  congregation 
as  if  in  search  of  some  one.  His  manner  fastened 
every  eye  in  the  audience  upon  him  with  an  expression 
of  attention  and  inquisitive  expectancy.  Then  he  said, 
22 


I/O  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

'  I  look  for  Deacon  Harger  and  Deacon  Higley,  for 
Isaac  Mills,  for  Edmimd  Case,  and  many  others  ;  but 
why  should  I  seek  the  living  among  the  dead  ? ' 

The  effect  cannot  be  described.  It  can  only  be 
realized  by  those  who  saw  the  tears  of  some,  and  the 
manifest  emotion  of  all  the  audience.  He  then  recited 
the  words  of  Scripture,  "  How  much  less  man,  that  is  a 
worm  .^  and  the  son  of  man  which  is  a  worm  ?"  He 
omitted  the  usual  form  of  announcing  a  text,  nor  did  he 
say  where  the  words  were  to  be  found. 

While  riding  home,  I  asked  him  why  he  didn't  tell 
the  audience  that  his  text  was  the  6th  verse  of  the  25  th 
chapter  of  Job  ? 

*  Because,'  said  he,  '  I  wished  to  awaken  their  curi- 
osity to  hunt  it  up  in  the  Bible,  and  so  compel  them  to 
a  searching  of  the  Scripture.' 

His  theme — which  he  did  not  announce  in  a  set  form 
of  words — was,  '  The  unmerited  love  of  God  for  the 
sinful  and  the  unthankful'  I  cannot  repeat  his  quaint 
and  original  forms  of  expression  ;  they  kept  me  wonder- 
ing and  admiring  throughout  the  discourse.  It  was  a 
sermon  to  be  heard.  I  cannot — and  I  doubt  if  any  one 
could— give  any  adequate  report  or  description  of  it  to 
one  who  did  not  hear  it.  Perhaps  those  who  have 
heard  him  frequently,  however,  can  imagine,  from  the 
meager  reminiscences  that  I  am  able  to  give,  something 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  171 

of  its  originality  and  power  to  fix  the  attention  and 
awaken  emotion. 

He  said,  '  There  is  preaching  enough  on  the  fear  of 
God,  and  the  law  of  God,  and  the  wrath  of  God,  but  too 
little  on  the  love  of  God.'  One  of  his  illustrations  was 
the  story  of  a  recaptured  fugitive  slave,  which  he 
asserted  to  be  a  fact  by  his  own  personal  knowledge. 

The  gist  of  the  story  was :  'A  master,  having  recap- 
tured a  fugitive,  had  him  brought  before  him  in  the 
presence  of  all  his  other  slaves,  and  then  said  to  him, 
'  You  expect  now  that  I  shall  punish  you,  load  you 
with  irons,  and  keep  a  sharp  look-out  that  you  do  not 
escape  from  me  again.  But  I  shall  do  no  such  thing. 
I  will  not  compel  any  one  of  my  slaves  to  stay  with  me ; 
I  want  them  to  stay  with  me  and  work  for  me,  because 
they  love  me  as  a  good  and  kind  master.  I  have  sent 
out  and  captured  you  and  brought  you  back  to  tell  you, 
in  the  presence  of  all  these,  that  if  you  can  justly  charge 
me  with  abuse,  if  you  can  honestly  say  that  I  am  not  a 
good  master  ;  in  short,  if  you  do  not  love  your  master, 
and  wish  to  stay  with  him,  you  have  my  permission  to 
leave.'  Then  the  fugitive  was  broken  into  penitence, 
and  he  and  his  fellow-servants  were  bound  to  their 
master  in  bonds  of  love. 

Father  Atwell's  dramatic  recital  of  this  story — the 
dialogue  that  he  carried  on  between  the  fugitive  and 
master ;  the  description  of  the  effect  on  the  witnessing 


172  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

slaves,  the  delineation  of  the  mercy  of  the  master  when 
only  his  wrath  was  apprehended,  was  inimitable  and 
indescribable. 

In  closing,  he  illustrated  the  love  of  God  in  regenerat- 
ing, sanctifying,  and  glorifying  the  lost  sinner  by  the 
description  of  a  wrecked  voyager,  cast,  bruised  and 
insensible,  upon  a  barren  and  rocky  shore.  He  is 
awakened  to  consciousness  by  the  touch  of  a  benignant 
being,  who  beckons  him  to  follow.  Inspired  with 
wonder,  he  becomes  conscious  of  how  he  is  bruised  and 
mangled  and  that  he  is  too  weak  to  rise.  His  guide 
takes  him  by  the  hand  and  raises  him  up,  sets  his  feet 
securely  on  a  rock,  and  he  feels  almost  superhuman 
strength.  He  follows,  and  the  way  gradually  changes  ; 
first  grass,  then  trees,  flowers,  and  fruits  appear ;  it 
grows  brighter  and  brighter  as  he  proceeds,  and  a  beau- 
tiful city  is  seen  ;  it  is  reached,  and  he  is  led  into  it 
through  gates  of  pearl ;  amazed  at  the  beauty  and  gran- 
deur of  its  structures,  he  inquires,  'Whose  are  these.-'' 
and  is  informed,  *  These  have  been  built  by  the  Ruler 
of  this  city  to  be  occupied  by  those  he  loves.'  Before 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  these  structures  the  guide 
pauses,  and  the  traveler  inquires,  '  Whose  is  this  .-* ' 
The  guide  replies,  '  This  is  one  of  the  many  mansions 
your  Heavenly  Father  has  prepared  for  those  who  love 
him,  and  this  one  is  yours.  Enter  in,  never  again  to 
sin  or  suffer,  and  never  to  die  ! ' 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  173 

I  am  painfully  aware  of  the  violence  this  description 
does  to  Father  Atwell's  delineation.  As,  by  words  and 
gestures,  he  pictured  the  scene,  it  became  a  real,  pres- 
ent vision  ;  I  was  moved,  not  only  to  tears,  but  my 
whole  franrie  shook  with  emotion.  I  do  not  think  that 
Bunyan  could  have  excelled  it.  It  was  more  like  him 
than  any  other  author  I  can  think  of,  yet  it  was  so  dif- 
ferent from  Bunyan,  or  anything  that  I  had  heard  or 
read,  that  it  was  perfectly  novel  and  unique.  The 
whole  sermon  and  the  preacher  in  delivering  it  seemed 
to  glow  with  inspiration  and  supernal  light.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  gates  of  heaven  were  open  and  the  golden  light 
from  thence  gave  a  celestial  coloring  to  it  all. 

I  was  surprised  that  he  did  not  appear  fatigued  after 
the  effort,  and  that  he  was  so  vigorous  and  bright  dur- 
ing our  return  ride.  I  did  not  apprehend  then  that  the 
glorious  vision  with  which  he  had  so  charmed  me  would 
so  soon  be  to  him  a  blessed  and  eternal  reality. 

After  his  departure,  I  believed  that  when  he  drew 
that  picture  in  his  last  sermon,  like  the  departing 
Stephen,  he  saw  Heaven  open  before  him." 

His  constitutional  resistance  to  anything  like  the 
approach  of  disease  was  so  remarkable  that  but  little 
outward  change  could  be  noted,  yet  behind  the  mar- 
shaled forces,  gently  and  slowly,  like  the  beloved  one 
sixteen  years  before,  his  steps  came  down  to  the  river 
of  death.     Did  the  heavens  open  and  angels  linger  .'' 

There  were  tender  twilight  talks,  in  which  his  lega- 


174  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

cies  were  given  and  bestowed  :  pearls  of  price,  words 
of  out-reaching  tenderness,  undying,  yet  unrepeatable. 
The  burden  of  it  all  was  that  nothing  in  Christ's  max- 
ims is  more  plainly  taught  than  the  doctrine  of  God's 
providence,  and  that  safety  is  only  found  by  making  it 
a  guide  and  never  distrusting  it.  He  read  and  wrote 
as  usual,  and  in  the  Christian  Secretary  of  Feb.  lOth 
appeared  the  following 

RABBINICAL    LEGEND. 

When  Jonathan  gave  his  bow  and  quiver  to  his  lad 
to  carry  back  to  the  city,  the  lad  much  admired  the 
princely  bow  and  was  minded  to  put  to  proof  its  power 
by  actual  experiment. 

He  shot  an  arrow  directly  upward.  Soaring  beyond 
his  ken,  and  now  out  of  sight,  he  concluded  'twas  lost 
and  would  never  return. 

The  shaft  having  spent  its  force,  returned  in  a  per- 
pendicular direction  and  smote  the  lad  in  the  head. 

Piercing  through  hat  and  hair,  scalp  and  scull,  it 
whispered  this  truth  to  his  brain  :  Young  man,  'tis 
useless  to  shoot  arrows  against  heaven,  for  two  reasons  : 

I.  You  can  never  hit  it.  2.  Your  missiles  will  return 
on  your  own  head.  "His  mischief  shall  return  upon 
his  own  head,  and  his  violent  dealings  shall  come  down 
upon  his  own  pate."  Psalms  vii,  16.  Saul's  javelin  or 
arrows  could  never  reach  David. 

George  B.  Atwell. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  175 

On  the  evening  of  March  4th  he  attended  a  golden 
wedding  in  New  Hartford,  and  made  the  presentation 
of  a  gold-headed  cane  memorable  by  following  the 
speech  with  a  happy  allusion  to  "  Grandfather  Adam's 
Cain,"  which  started  a  round  of  puns  and  witty  sayings 
from  others  present. 

His  last  public  utterance  was  on  Sunday,  March  30th, 
when  Rev.  Mr.  Tomkinson  delivered  his  farewell  ser- 
mon at  the  Methodist  church  in  Pleasant  Valley.  Mr. 
Atvvell  pronounced  the  benediction,  to  which  all  listened 
and  wondered,  for  it  fell  like  dews  from  heaven.  Tues- 
day, April  8th,  he  was  made  happy  by  calls  from  valued 
friends,  and  the  thoughts  suggested  by  his  appearance 
found  expression  in  the  following : 

Since  the  following  beautiful  and  touching  lines  were 
given  to  the  printer,  "  Father  Atwell" — Rev.  George  B. 
Atwell — long  known  and  loved  in  our  Zion,  has  passed 
to  his  heavenly  rest.  He  died  at  Pleasant  Valley, 
Wednesday,  April  23,  having  almost  completed  his  86th 
year. — Ed.  Sec. 

[For  the  Christian  Secretary.] 
TO  FATHER  ATWELL— INDIAN  SUMMER. 

BV  MRS.  ORRIN  FITCH. 

It  is  lying  on  the  hills  like  a  dream  of  long  ago, 
And  bathing  all  the  valley  with  its  warm  and  mellow  glow ; 
'Ti.s  rustling  through  the  branches,  with  a  sigh  as  sweet  as  song, 
And  a  something,  something  whispers — it  cannot  linger  long. 


1/6  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

There's  a  vague  and  tender  reaching — of  earth  up  to  the  sky, 
A  soft,  uniting  perfectness,  that  cheats  the  mortal  eye, 
Like  one  so  sanctified  and  sweet,  so  precious  and  so  true, 
We  know  not  where  earth  faded  out  or  when  the  glory  grew. 

O,  summer,  summer,  sweet  and  old  !—  fade  slowly  from  our  way, 
We  would  not  naiss  a  single  charm  that  glorifies  thy  day ; 
No  birds  may  build,  nor  flowers  bloom,  and  yet  we  surely  hear 
The  rustle  and  the  radiance  unfold  and  disappear. 

O,  summer,  summer,  sweet  and  old  !■ — fade  slowly, — for  with  thee 
Dear  faces  wait,  that  all  too  soon  beyond  our  sight  may  be  ; 
No  birds  may  build,  nor  flowers  bloom,  yet  leaf  and  bud  and  rose, 
We'd  give  them  all,  to  feel  within,  one  hour  of  their  repose. 

Fade  slowly — for  no  golden  days  can  ever  these  repeat, 
No  words  of  wisdom,  O  my  friend,  hke  thine  seem  half  so  sweet ; 
But  in  the  boundless  Beautiful,  with  fadeless  summers  fair, 
1  pray  you  meet  us  at  the  gate,  and  give  us  welcome  there. 

Slowly  it  faded,  yet  the  golden  moments  came  and 
went,  and  one  by  one  the  jeweled  hours  were  told.  He 
was  ready  to  depart,  but  the  superb  physique  resisted, 
and  brain  and  hand  were  kept  in  service. 

The  following  is  his  last  writing  : 

THE    MAN    AND    HIS    SHADOW. 

"  You  are  like  a  false  friend,"  said  a  man  to  his 
shadow  ;  "  you  follow  me  only  when  the  sun  shines," 

"  Like  a  true  friend,"  quoth  the  shadow,  "  I  show 
your  just  dimensions,  nor  do  I  conceal  your  defects." 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  177 

"  If  you  are  a  friend,"  demanded  the  man,  "  why  do 
you  run  from  me  when  I  pursue  you  ?" 

"  To  show  you  that  he  who  runs  after  fame  chases  a 
shadow  which  he  cannot  overtake." 

"  Then  why  do  you  follow  close  to  my  heels  when  I 
run  from  you  ?  " 

"  To  teach  you,"  replied  the  shadow,  "  that  glory  or 
fame  attend  those  who  do  not  run  after  them." 

"  You  are  visible  in  prosperity  and  invisible  in  adver- 
sity," said  the  man. 

"  I  am  the  fac  smiile  of  yourself,"  responded  the 
shadow  ;  "  in  me  you  see  your  own  image." 

"  I  charge  you  with  duplicity,"  answered  the  man  ; 
"  at  noon  you  represent  me  as  a  mere  dwarf  ;  as  the 
sun  declines  and  inclines  towards  the  horizon,  you  ex- 
hibit me  as  taller  than  Saul  or  even  Goliah.  By  what 
law  or  right  do  you  add  so  many  cubits  to  my  stature  .^ 
As  a  shadow  you  should  cast  my  true  porporlions  at 
all  times  ;  but  you  are  fickle  and  changeable,  bonus 
in  sunshine  but  mimis  in  shade  and  showers." 

"  You  cast  reflections  on  me,"  said  the  shadow ; 
"  reflect  now  inwardly,  and  consider  that  you  have  an 
inward  mirror  as  well  as  an  outward  shadow.  I  am 
dark,  but  he  is  light ;  I  show  your  externals,  he  dis- 
cerns your  inner  man.  Beware  of  him,  obey  his  voice, 
provoke  him  not.  Exodus  xxiii,  21.  Agree  with  him 
quickly  while  thou  art  in  the  way  with  him.  Remem- 
23 


178  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

ber  your  life  is  a  shadow,  cast  not  from  your  body  but 
from  your  sonl.  You  cannot  run  fast  nor  far  enough 
to  flee  from  me,  while  I  follow  close  at  your  heels.  He 
follows  your  heart,  and  where  you  are  he  is.  What  is 
his  name  and  his  Son's  name,  if  thou  canst  tell  .'*" 

"  I  think,"  said  the  man,  "  his  name  may  be  Con- 
science." 

Note. — Hezekiah  was  taught  by  a  shadow  which 
went  backward,  showing  him  that  he  would  go  back 
fifteen  years  into  his  youth.  David's  youth  was  re- 
newed like  the  eagle's,  and  he  wrote  a  psalm  prophetic 
of  the  degrees  of  the  sun-dial  of  Ahaz. 

The  pillar  of  cloud  was  as  true  a  guide  as  the  pillar 
of  fire,  and  both  are  blended  in  God's  wisdom.  The 
person  in  the  parable  complained  of  his  shadow  without 
considering  that  the  sun,  which  is  the  source  of  light, 
is  likewise  the  parent  of  the  shadow. 

Ministers  are  like  their  predecessors,  Peter,  James, 
and  John,  who  feared  when  the  cloud  overshadowed 
them)  not  knowing  the  cloud  was  a  shadow  of  good 
things  to  come." 

Failure  of  eyesight  was  the  first  indication  of  the 
general  surrender  of  nature's  forces.  He  laid  down  his 
newspaper  with  the  remark,  "This  is  a  premonition." 
From  that  time,  symptoms  became  alarming  and  family 
friends  were  summoned.  He  was  pleased  to  have  them 
near  him,  and  most  tender  and  sacred  words  were  spoken. 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  179 

On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  April  19th,  he  rallied, 
and  when  Rev.  Mr.  Maine,  then  of  Colebrook,  called, 
he  desired  to  see  him.  Said  Mr.  Maine,  "Father 
Atwell,  you  are  going  to  a  better  life  !  " 

With  a  smile,  he  replied,  "  Do  you  really  believe  in 
the  better  life  .^ " 

"  /  do','  was  the  answer. 

"  Then  impart  it  to  others  ! " 

He  still  continued  to  rally,  was  able  to  talk  more,  and 
in  conversation  with  Rev.  Mr.  Bolles,  later  in  the  after- 
noon, the  old  twinkle  came  back  to  his  eye  and  the  old 
smile  to  his  lips.  Said  he,  "  As  ye  go,  heal  the  sick  ; 
that's  your  commission.  If  there's  to  be  a  miracle, 
there'll  be  no  death.  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question. 
If  we  were  alone  it  wouldn't  matter  how  you  answered, 
but  I  want  you  to  answer  for  this  young  man  to  hear. 
Did  God  or  the  devil  afflict  Job  '>.  " 

"  God  permitted  the  devil  to  afflict  Job." 

"Did  the  devil  have  a  good   purpose   in  afflicting 

Job.?" 

"  No,  but  God  had  a  good  purpose  in  permitting  it. 
The  devil  claimed  that  if  God  removed  the  self-interest 
from  Job's  life.  Job  would  curse  God.  God  said  to  the 
devil,  '  I  give  him  up  to  you  except  his  life.  Try  your 
experiment.'     The  devil  tried  and  failed." 

"There,   Mr.  Owen,"  said  Mr.  Atwell,  "You  hear 


i8o  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

that.  Don't  forget  it ! "  Said  Mr.  BoUes,  "  Can  you 
sleep  ?     Do  you  suffer  much  pain  ?  " 

"  The  body  is  wearing  out,  heart  and  flesh  are  fail- 
ing." 

"  But  you  can  say,  '  It  is  well  with  my  soul,' " 

The  reply  was,  "  I  can  say  that  it  is  well  with  Him 
who  died  to  save  my  soul.'' 

Sunday  was  a  hopeful  day.  He  sat  in  his  easy  chair, 
erect  and  upright  as  ever,  and  his  voice  sounded  full  and 
strong.  He  talked  much,  and  among  other  things  said 
the  time  would  come  when  for  a  man  to  live  one  hun- 
dred years  would  not  be  considered  out  of  the  natural 
course.  This  was  the  last  rallying.  Monday  brought 
failing  strength,  followed  by  much  apparent  suffering, 
borne,  as  was  his  wont,  without  complaint. 

On  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  April  23d,  it  was 
evident  that  the  end  was  near.  His  physician  was 
summoned,  and  remained  with  him  until  the  last.  The 
spirit  was  ready  to  depart,  but  nature's  final  surrender 
was  like  mortal  combat.  In  one  of  the  intervals  of 
spasms  he  looked  up  gratefully  to  the  physician,  and 
said,  "  Doctor,  I  believe  you  do  know  something  ! " 

To  his  children  he  said,  *'  I  can  say  nothing  more 
than  I  have  already  said.  It  is  needful  for  yoti  that  I 
go  away,  and  I  want  you  to  behave  with  firmness  and 
fortitude.  Think  that  father  has  gone  home.  You 
will  see  the  hand  of  Providence  in  it." 


REV.   GEORGE  B.  ATWELL.  i8l 

Rev.  Mr.  Betts,  the  Episcopal  clergyman  of  Pine 
Meadow,  a  very  valued  friend,  called  and  read  the  com- 
mendatory prayer,  to  which  he  responded  "  Amen." 

One  of  his  children  said  to  him,  "  I  wish  I  could  go 
with  you,  father  !  " 

He  replied,  "The  time  has  not  come  ;  it  wouldn't  be 
worth  while." 

"  Oh,  father,  don't  you  want  me  .■'  " 

"  Darling,  I  want  you  in  Heaven." 

Another  said,  "  Do  you  know  me,  father  }  " 

It  was  now  difficult  for  him  to  speak,  but  this  could 
be  gathered :  "  Certainly,  certainly,  I  remember  dis- 
tinctly  " 

He  called  for  water,  and  after  swallowing  it,  said, 
"  Beautiful  water  ! " 

A  little  later  he  said,  "  This  is  death  !  " 

The  last  hour  was  peaceful.  Three  times  the  pulsa- 
tion seemed  to  cease,  and  three  times  the  strong  heart 
beat  again,  then  slower  and  slower,  until  a  little  past 
four  o'clock  it  gave  itself  up,  sweet  and  trusting,  to  its 
Maker. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

BURIAL. 
The   funeral   was    on    Sunday,    April    27th,    at   the 
Methodist  church  in   Pleasant  Valley.     Six  ministers 
were  present :  Rev.  R.  H.  Bolles  of  New  Hartford,  and 
Rev.  R.  H.  Maine,  then  of  Colebrook  ;  Rev.  Mr.  Adams 
of  New  Hartford,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Peffers  of  Barkhamsted, 
Congregational   clergymen  ;    Rev.   Mr.   Betts  of    Pine 
Meadow,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Moffitt  of  the  Methodist  church 
in  Pleasant  Valley.     The  services  consisted  of  tributes 
from  each   of  the  ministering   brethren    present,  and 
appropriate   hymns,  sung   by  a   fine   quartette    choir. 
Rev.   R.    H.   Bolles,  as  pastor  of  the  New   Hartford 
church,  conducted  the  exercises,  and  gave  an  affecting 
tribute  beginning,  "  My  father,  my  father,  the  chariot 
of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof ! "  and  Rev.  R.  H. 
Maine  dwelt  with  much  feeling  upon  the  memories 
growing  out  of  thirty  years'  acquaintance,  and  associa- 
tion in  the  ministry. 

The  Masonic  services  at  the  grave  were  beautiful  and 
impressive.  They  were  conducted  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Lee, 
and  from  his  own  description  of  the  scene  the  following 
is  taken : 


1 84  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

"  There  has  been  no  such  gathering  in  the  Valley  since 
Captain  E.  R.  Lee  was  buried  on  Good  Friday,  1862. 
From  Winsted,  Wolcottville,  Thomaston,  Collinsville, 
Unionville,  New  Hartford,  and  all  the  hillsides  around, 
they  came,  and  even  from  Hartford  and  Meriden. 
More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  Masons  were  in  the 
procession,  and  it  was  actually  impossible  for  the  people 
to  obtain  admittance  into  the  Methodist  church  in 
which  the  services  were  held.  Windows  and  doors 
were  thrown  open,  so  that  those  might  hear  who  could 
not  see.  Six  clergymen  were  in  attendance,  all  testi- 
fying to  the  worth,  beauty,  and  fitness  of  the  life 
which  had  closed  so  recently  ;  yet  the  tenor  of  their 
remarks  was  not  of  sorrow,  but  rather  of  rejoicing  and 
triumph.  Brother  Lee,  P.  G.  M.,  spoke  in  feeling 
terms  of  him  who  was  the  friend  of  his  boyhood  and 
confidant  and  counsel  of  his  riper  years,  and  also  for  the 
boys  who  had  gone  from  that  village,  and  who  would 
hear  with  sadness  the  news  of  his  death.  He  had  come 
to  help  bury  him  who  had  helped  to  bury  so  many  of  his 
(the  speaker's)  kindred,  and  who,  among  the  many  noted 
clergymen  in  all  the  fraternity,  he  (S.  M.  Lee)  had 
deemed  it  most  fitting  to  select  for  Grand  Chaplain, 
when  the  brethren  had  selected  him  for  Grand  Master 
of  Masons  in  Connecticut 

There  was  present  no  more  sincere  mourner  than 
Chu  Kia  You,  a  Chinese  youth  (one  of  those  who  were 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  185 

sent  to  this  country  a  few  years   since)  who  has  been 
educated  in  the  Elder's  family. 

Although  the  services  were  two  hours  or  more  in 
length,  no  one  seemed  to  be  tired  or  uneasy.  At  the 
grave  Bro.  Lee,  by  request  of  Grand  Master  Bullock, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  unanimous  wish  of  Northern 
Star  Lodge,  conducted  the  service.  It  was  a  scene 
that  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  The  speaker  had  come 
to  the  half-century  post  in  life,  and  had  come  to  bury 
the  friend  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  A  few  of  the 
veterans  of  the  "Anti-Masonic  war"  had  come  to 
bury  one  of  their  fast  thinning  members,  now  well 
down  the  hill.  Next  were  the  men  of  grizzly  hair  and 
beard,  telling  that  they  had  reached  the  summit  ;  then 
the  strong  an^  sturdy  men  of  elastic  step  ;  and  still 
the  younger  ones,  just  stepping  forward  in  life  ;  youth, 
manhood,  and  old  age — the  three  stages,  not  a  picture, 
but  a  reality.  The  voice  of  the  speaker  rose  clear  and 
strong,  and  was  distinctly  heard  by  the  hundreds  pres- 
ent. Mingled  with  the  speaker's  voice  were  the  twitter 
of  the  returning  spring  warblers  and  the  ripple  of  the 
Tunxis  on  its  banks,  while  the  sighing  of  the  gentle 
breeze  in  the  pines  seemed  as  if  prepared  for  the  time 
and  act.  The  hush  of  the  quiet  spring  day  was  in 
keeping  with  the  scene ;  long  the  friends  lingered  as 
if  loth  to  leave  the  spot  where  they  had  buried  the 
24 


1 86  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES  OF 

Christian,  Pastor,  Friend,  Sage,  Philosopher,  and  Mason. 
So  closes  the  record  of  a  life  devoted  to  God  and  fellow- 
men." 

IN  MEMORIAM— REV.  GEORGE  B.  ATWELL. 

BY  REV.  A.  G.  PALMER,  D.  D. 

As^comes  the  shock  of  grain,  with  ripened  ear, 
Of  wheaten  sheaf  or  stalk  of  golden  maize, 
Under  the  genial  heat  of  summer  days 

And  nights,  in  Autumn's  mellow  atmosphere. 

Matured  and  ready  for  the  harvest  song : 

So,  on  beyond  the  "  three-score  years  and  ten," 
The  farthest  average  time  allowed  to  men. 

Did  this  dear,  blithe  old  man  his  age  prolong, — 

Genial  in  temper,  saintly,  made  by  grace, 
A  Christian  pastor,  wise  and  "apt  to  teach," 
Devout  in  manner,  sanctified  in  speech. 

With  chastened  soberness  upon  a  face 
That,  under  nature's  role  alone,  had  won 
With  ease  the^prize  of  sparkling  wit  and  fun. 

Alas,  that  we  shall  see  that  face  no  more. 
Nor  longer  read  his  terse,  quaint  epigrams. 
His  scathing  satires  of  religious  shams, 

His  puns  of  humor,  an  exhaustless  store  ! 

Simple  and  childlike,  he  had  no  pretence 
Of  piety  above  the  common  grade 
Of  sinners  saved  by  sovereign  grace  and  made 

Saints  by  imputed  righteousness,  and  hence 


REV.  GEORGE  B.  AT  WELL.  187 

His  preaching,  while  not  eloquent,  profound 
In  words  of  cultured  wisdom  from  the  schools, 
As  gauged  by  theologic  forms  and  rules, 

Was  yet  "  in  doctrine  incorrupt  and  sound." 
Last  of  a  race  of  apostolic  men — 
His  like  and  theirs,  when  shall  we  see  again  ? 


THE   END. 


DATE  DUE 

liip— -" 

CAYLORO 

PSINTEO  IN  U    »    A. 

